The Wave of Darkness
by the alpha phoenix
Summary: The Digidestined knew this day was coming. It was only a matter of time before it happened. The creatures of the Dark Ocean are calling again ... Sequel to Better the Devil You Know. Takari, PataGato, Sorato, Kenyako and Koumi
1. More Than a Nightmare

**The Wave of Darkness**

**Chapter 1: More Than a Nightmare**

Heya everyone. This is the sequel many of you suggested I write when I finished Better the Devil You Know. Yep, I've finally started writing the sequel. I can only hope it lives up to the standards you expect. Before I go any further, I would like to thank _KHLostEmpress_ and _Leon Ciasslasi_. I wouldn't be publishing this chapter right now if I didn't have their help and advice. So again, thank you my friends =D

Hopefully it shouldn't matter if you haven't read Better the Devil You Know before reading this story. I will explain some of the key events that happened in that fic when it becomes necessary to do so in this fic (there's a basic recap of most of the events in this chapter). Although, obviously I would still appreciate it if you did read Better the Devil You Know.

Swiftly moving on, here is the summary for this story: The Digidestined knew this day was coming. It was only a matter of time before it happened. The creatures of the Dark Ocean are calling again ... The pairings in this fic are Takari with some PataGato, Sorato, Kenyako and Koumi. The Koumi will develop later on in the story.

And now it is time for that stable of all works of fanfiction, the disclaimer. I don't own Digimon or any other copyrighted things that I mention in this story (in this chapter or any of its future chapters). I think we all wish that we owned the Digimon franchise, right? Oh, and I don't own any of H.P. Lovecraft's work either. I believe the name Deep One was created by him.

Ok, we can get on with the fic now I've written all my author's notes … enjoy …

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A teenage girl with shoulder length chocolate brown hair groaned as she pushed her body up off the ground so that she was on her hands and knees. She was confused as to how she had arrived at where ever she was. The last thing she remembered was that she had been at home in her bed and trying to get to sleep. Her mind was groggy and tired. Her slowly returning senses registered that there was cold and wet sand underneath her hands and bare legs. The brunette teen remembered that the same thing had also happened to her during the last few nights.

Hikari Kamiya, better known as Kari to her friends, felt a chill run up her spine. The chill wasn't just caused by the cold temperatures of the surrounding environment. The teen girl's sixth sense, which allowed her to detect evil and dark energy, could feel the pure darkness that consumed the whole area around her. It was a frighteningly familiar feeling and it was one she hated. Kari recognised this darkness and the sound of waves gently rolling up the beach. Her anxiety quickly started to build. It was the evil of the Dark World. She had to remind herself to keep calm and that it was probably just another nightmare.

The brunette sixteen year old opened her auburn eyes and waited for them to focus so she could take in her surroundings. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adapt to the darkness of this realm but, when they did focus, she knew straightaway that this was most definitely the Dark World. The colour of the sand below her told her so. It looked like the colour had been drained from the sand so it was just a shade of grey with only a hint of its original hue remaining, like everything else in this world.

Kari shifted so she was just on her knees as she lifted her hands up to her face to inspect them. Her hands, just like the rest of her body, were translucent. They were fuzzy and flickering like the screen of an un-tuned TV. She could see them but she could also see straight through them. It was one of the typical features that defined her nightmares about the Dark Ocean. If she was really there then she would have been opaque like she was when the creatures that lived in this world had tried to make her their Queen five years ago.

The teen girl sighed in relief, knowing this was just another nightmare. Then she reminded herself that her nightmares about the Dark World were too realistic to be just normal nightmares. They always meant that those humanoid frog-like shadow creatures and the Master of the Dark Ocean were trying to pull her into their realm again. Fortunately she had always managed to wake up before they could pull her into their world during her sleep. In the past they had only ever managed to abduct her while she had been awake. That went a long way to calming the teen girl's nerves.

Kari glanced down and realised that she was still in her sleeping clothes. She also noted that the rest of her body was partially see-through, not just her hands. She was in her oversized pink cotton t-shirt that covered her smooth flat stomach and the bra that contained her ample sized breasts, which were still growing and already quite large for a girl her age. The brunette teen was wearing her short pink sweat shorts that hugged the curves of her hips and exposed her long smooth legs to the chill of the wet sand beneath them. She noticed that she had absolutely nothing on her feet, which meant it would be difficult for her to run on rough ground. Kari felt certain that this was another attempt by the creatures of the Dark World to pull her into their domain.

"Kari, are you ok?" A familiar voice asked, making her spin her head to the right to find the person who had spoken. The voice was full of concern and trying to hide the fear the speaker was feeling at that moment.

A blonde boy, who was the same age as her, knelt on the sand only a few metres away from Kari. His body was fuzzy and semi-transparent, just like hers, which meant he was in the same predicament she was in. The creatures of this world were trying to pull him into their realm too.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kari replied as she gazed up and down his body. She felt a slight blush forming on her cheeks at the thought of being in her nightwear around this particular teen boy.

Kari's eyes inspected the blonde boy's body, noting he was only in his light grey sweat pants that he normally slept in. His toned torso was exposed and that allowed her to see the scars down the left side of his body. There was a large, deep scar on the top of his left arm which had several smaller scars around it from the surgeries the blonde boy had previously had to save his arm. There was a large scar down the left side of his chest from where it had once been slashed open. The final scar was less noticeable and ran down the entire left side of the blonde teen's face from within his medium length messy golden blonde hair down to the ridge of his jaw. These were the scars from the final battle with Neodevimon which took place nearly three years ago.

The brunette's gaze locked onto the boy's sapphire eyes and she knew without a doubt that he was her boyfriend, Takeru Takaishi. Takeru, or TK as he preferred to be called, had received the injuries that formed the scars when his nemesis, Neodevimon, had caught him with his claw as the blonde boy tried to save Kari's life. Neodevimon had slashed open and broken TK's left arm, cut open his chest, broke five of his ribs and created a gash down the left side of his face as the teen boy pushed Kari out of the way of the demon's attack. It had taken a year for TK to recover from his injuries, which was a lot longer than the time it took Kari to recover from her fractured pelvis that she had received during the same fight.

Kari could still feel the heat in her cheeks as she continued to stare into TK's sapphire eyes. She had no idea why she would be blushing as a result of both her boyfriend and herself being this close while they were in their night clothes. They had seen each other with no clothes on and had made love many times during the three years that they had been in a relationship. In the end she guessed her blush must have had something to do with her being in her sleeping clothes while being on a beach in the Dark World.

The two teens had admitted their love for each other during TK's battles with Neodevimon. It was an emotionally testing time for both of them and they just couldn't hold their feelings back any longer. That led to them forming an even closer bond than the one that they already had and that meant TK allowed Kari to be the only person who helped him during his battles with his nemesis. The bond deepened further after the final battle with Neodevimon when both of them had been injured and showed that they were willing to die to save each other. As a result the couple were now almost completely inseparable and spent as much of their time together as they could.

"This doesn't feel like a normal nightmare," TK commented as he stood up and made his way over to Kari.

"My nightmares about the Dark World always feel too realistic to be just nightmares. It's because they're trying to pull me into their realm while I'm sleeping," Kari replied as she stood up too. "Although the nightmares I had about this place five years ago didn't have you in, TK. You've only started being in them since I've started having bad dreams about this place again."

TK reached out to Kari and pulled her into a tight hug. He wrapped his left arm around the base of her back as he rested his right hand on the back of her head. Kari accepted the embrace by wrapping her arms around his back and then resting her head on his right shoulder. The brunette teen noted that their bodies fitted together perfectly, as always. She felt safe in the embrace with her boyfriend. She always felt like that every time they hugged.

"My dreams about this world only started three nights ago and you've been in all of them," TK sighed as he rested his right cheek against Kari's head. The teen girl noticed he was trying to remain calm but she could still hear the hints of fear and concern in his tone.

"My recent nightmares about this place also started three nights ago," Kari's worry about the situation was definitely clearer in her tone. "And we've started our conversations in those previous nightmares in almost exactly the same way. This isn't just a normal nightmare, TK."

"What are you saying?" TK asked in a much more concerned and serious manner as he lifted his head off Kari's so their eyes could meet.

"I think the creatures of this world are trying to pull you and me into their realm, which is causing both of us to be in the same dream," the brunette replied. Her fear about the situation was growing more and more by the second. "Tell me something, TK. Did you go to the Digital World with me yesterday to bring Gatomon and Patamon back to Earth so they could spend some time with us?"

"Yeah, I did," TK replied as he thought back to the previous day. "Although the real reason I wanted Patamon on Earth was so that I could tell him about these nightmares."

A serious expression formed on Kari's face. "I wanted Gatomon with me for the same reason. I wish you would have told me about this earlier at school or while we were together at your apartment. Then I would have known exactly what was going on and we could have come up with a plan to stop this."

"I thought it was just my nightmare and I didn't really want to worry you," TK answered as he continued to stare into his girlfriend's eyes. The teen girl could clearly see the fear in TK's eyes now even though he was still trying his best to hide it from her. She felt his right hand glide around from the back of her head and cup her cheek.

"This is more than just a nightmare of yours or mine," Kari continued in her serious tone. "We are both being pulled into the Dark World. How else can you explain why we are both see through and sharing the same dream?"

TK pursed his lips as he thought for a moment. "I'll ring you as soon as I wake up to confirm that this is more than just a reoccurring bad dream."

"Yeah, or I'll ring you if I wake up first," Kari nodded in agreement with the blonde teen.

She was about to continue when the sound of an explosion far off in the distance caught her attention. Both the brunette girl and TK turned their heads so they could see where the sound had come from. There was some kind of battle raging over on the horizon. Kari could see the silhouettes of over a hundred flying Digimon battling in the air above several plumes of smoke that rose out of the forest below.

It was the first time the teen girl had paid attention to her surroundings beyond TK, the waves and the sand beneath her. The first thing she noted was that those battling Digimon and the plumes of smoke had never been there in any of her previous nightmares about the Dark World. It was something that further cemented her belief that this was no ordinary nightmare.

Kari turned her head and took in the rest of her surroundings. She already knew that she was on a beach with the Dark Ocean stretching out to the horizon and that there was a rocky cliff face running parallel to the water. There was a dark forest on top of the cliff that had several more smoke plumes spiralling upwards into the sky from within confines of the tall trees. The brunette girl then noticed a few huts on the edge of the beach off in the distance where a valley sat in the cliff face.

Another explosion echoed across the beach, focusing Kari and TK's attention back on the battle. It looked like there was some kind of war going on but neither of them had any idea as to who the war was between. Both of them didn't really want to know either because they just wanted to wake up so they could get out of this world.

"They definitely weren't there last night," TK stated the obvious as he stared at the silhouettes of the battling monsters.

"You can say that again," Kari grumbled just before the echo of another blast reached them. The teen girl jumped in surprise from how close the explosion was to her and TK. She felt her love tighten his hold of her to try and keep her safe.

Kari glanced in the direction where the explosion had been and noticed a new plume of thick grey smoke rising out of the forest. The column of ash rose up from the forest on top of the cliff, suggesting the battle these Digimon were fighting was also happening up there. The brunette girl instinctively tightened her grip around TK, knowing he would keep her safe.

The teen girl then concentrated on what her sixth sense was telling her about the darkness in the area around them. She could sense more individual sources of dark energy than she could count and each of these individual sources represented a single creature. The darkness emanating from each of these creatures varied depending on its power. However the numerous weaker sources weren't the ones that concerned her, it was to two greater sources of darkness that were scaring her. One of those sources was in the forest near where the explosion had occurred.

"We've got a problem," TK growled before he clenched his teeth. Kari could feel his grip tighten further. "And I'm not talking about the dark Digimon that I sense in the forest on top of the cliff."

The brunette girl glanced up at her boyfriend's face to see where he was looking. She felt TK release her from the embrace so she could turn around and see what he was talking about. Kari's extra sense told her that some of the dark creatures were approaching them from within the ocean. The girl teen gulped as her eyes set on those beings. Fear spread through her body, making her tense up. She felt TK grip her right hand with his left hand before he entwined his fingers with hers. Kari tightened her hold of his hand as she readied herself to run.

Ten creatures that were definitely not Digimon were slowly walking out of the dark water towards TK and Kari. These beings appeared to be frog-like humanoids. They walked upright on their back limbs, which had allowed their forelimbs to become arms with webbed claws. Their arms were long and almost touched the floor as they swayed back and forth while the creatures walked. Their frog-like faces was where the comparisons to any normal creature ended. The beings consisted of a black ghost-like shadow and looked similar to the ones who had previously pulled Kari into this realm to be their Queen.

Kari and TK both gulped again and Kari felt like her fear was now rooting her to the spot. The brunette girl remembered what Neodevimon had told her about the Lord of the Dark Ocean and why he wanted her. She remembered the ruler of this world was called Dragomon and he wanted her to be his bride. Neodevimon had said that Dragomon wanted to have his way with her and wanted to taint her light with darkness. That very thought and what it implied made Kari feel sick.

"They are not fully here," one of the creatures spoke as it reached the shoreline. "The One of Light and the One of Hope are still translucent. They need longer so we can fully transport them here."

"We must capture them now so the demon doesn't get them!" Another creature spoke up with panic dominating its tone. "He must not get the Queen of Light."

"We must take them to our master and then wait for them to fully arrive," a third shadow began in an authoritative tone. "Then the master can have his bride and he can punish the One of Hope for his crimes."

"Kari, you know that speed and stamina training we've been doing so we can avoid being in a situation like we were in during the final battle with Neodevimon?" TK rhetorically asked as he positioned his body so he could start sprinting.

"Yep," Kari replied even though she didn't need to do so. She knew the training she had been doing with TK was for moments just like this.

The training had started out with Kari helping TK get his fitness back for basketball games after he recovered from the injuries he had received while saving her from Neodevimon. However, both of them had decided to continue training even when TK was back to the same fitness level he was at before the incident. Their reason for continuing was because they felt that if they were faster than they might be able to avoid any future situations that could be similar to the one in the final battle with Neodevimon. Kari had even taken to playing occasional games of basketball with her boyfriend to help her fitness.

"I think we might need to use it now," TK spoke calmly before taking a deep breath.

The couple bolted to their left, sprinting hand in hand and as fast as they could along the beach. Kari could feel the cold and wet sand under her feet as she and TK tried to escape from the shadow creatures. She didn't even need to glance back to see if the creatures were following her. She knew they would be and her sixth sense confirmed it for her. Fortunately for the two teens, they were faster than their pursuers.

Another explosion echoed through the forest, catching TK and Kari's attention. The blast had come from the same area that the extremely powerful source of darkness was in. An additional adrenaline rush spread through the two teens' bodies as they realised that the powerful evil creature had locked onto the light that they both emitted. It was now following them on a parallel course through the forest, using the power from the Crests of Light and Hope to track them.

Suddenly something cold and wet wrapped around Kari's right ankle. What ever it was gripped onto her and pulled her to the ground. She screamed as she fell face first into the cold sand, dragging TK down with her. The teen girl felt her panic levels starting to rise as more of the thing wrapped around her bare leg. She pushed herself off the sand and turned around to see what had snared her.

A black, see through mist-like tendril had sprung out of the sand and wrapped itself around her right leg. She could sense that the tendril was made from pure dark energy and that it was under the control of a being who knew how to use the Powers of Darkness. The mist-like nature of it reminded her of the dark energy Neodevimon manipulated to create portholes to travel through three years ago.

Kari felt TK release her hand as he moved over to help her. Kari watched her boyfriend slide his hands across the smooth skin of her right leg and force both of his hands under the dark vine that was growing out of the beach. TK started spreading his hands apart, loosening the grip of the tendril around his girlfriend's leg. Suddenly another dark vine shot out of the sand and wrapped around TK's neck. Kari's eyes opened wide in horror as she heard it choking him.

She snapped into action, quickly removing her leg from within the coiled tendril now that TK had created a large enough gap for her to escape its grip. Kari then returned the favour by forcing her hands under the tendril that was strangling her love. She slid her hands up the sides of his neck before using all of her strength to loosen its grip. The teen girl was surprised by how weak the dark vines were as she was able to easy open up a wide enough gap for TK to remove his head from the tendril's grasp.

"Are you ok?" Kari asked as she felt TK grip her right hand again. She quickly glanced back at the shadow creatures and realised they had nearly caught up with them. The master of this realm was clearly using the tendrils to try and slow her and her boyfriend down.

"I'm fine and you?" TK replied as they both quickly got to their feet and started sprinting away from the tendrils and frog-like beings once more.

"Yeah, I'm ok," Kari answered as she tightened her grip of her love's hand.

The brunette teen noticed several more mist-like tendrils forming in the sand in front of her. They suddenly sprung towards her and TK, trying to grab them both. Both Digidestined used their spare arms to knock the physical manifestations of dark energy to one side as they chose to run through them over turning around and coming face to face with the shadow creatures.

The sound of yet another blast rang out across the beach, forcing Kari's attention to return the evil creature in the forest. The dark energy of the evil monster was now closer than ever. It had even overtaken them, adding to Kari's anxiety because she knew it could fly out of the forest and spring a trap at any moment. If that happened then there would be no escape for her and TK.

Kari felt one of the cold dark tendrils trying to wrap itself around her leg again. This time it was attempting to coil around her left thigh. She decided to try and overpower the vine of dark energy, remembering that they weren't as strong as she thought they were. The only reason the last one pulled her down was because it had wrapped itself around her ankle three times. The teen girl put all the force she could through her legs and it was enough to break free from the poor grip of the dark energy without it causing her to trip or stumble.

The couple continued to run from the shadow creatures, knocking the tendrils out of the way as the darkness tried to stop them escaping. Kari was becoming more and more scared with every second. All her previous nightmares about the Dark World had never been like this. There had never been any running for her life, vines of dark energy trying to catch her or explosions and plumes of smoke coming out of the forest. Her nightmares usually only ever included her and the frog-like shadow beings as they tried to pull her into their realm. All of it suggested to Kari that something had gone extremely wrong in this world.

"Double dust!" An evil, twisted voice suddenly bellowed across the beach from on top of the cliff. It was a familiar voice that sent shivers down the spines of both TK and Kari. It was the voice of a mega level Digimon that they had hoped they would never see again.

A large Digimon flew out of the forest on top of the cliff and headed straight for the two teens and their pursuers. The monster was covered by his dark red cloak, which had a black trim and a large pointed hood that completely covered his head. There were two large white horns coming out of the sides of the hood, and presumably the demon's head as well, giving the impression that this Digimon was evil. The four red spikes on the creature's huge purple wings only further confirmed that this Digimon was not one to be taken lightly.

"Oh no! It's Daemon," TK yelled with his fear clearly showing in his voice. Both teens noticed that the demon's eyes were glowing a deep purple colour and it looked as if he was powering up an attack. Suddenly his eyes released two beams of purple energy that cascaded towards the Digidestined of Hope and Light.

Kari and TK skidded to an abrupt halt to avoid the attack that was deliberately fired into their path. The attack caused an explosion when it hit the ground, sending out a shockwave and throwing sand several metres up into the air. The blast was strong enough to knock both TK and Kari off their feet and shower them with thousands of grains of sand.

The teen couple groaned in pain as they pushed themselves up into a kneeling position. They quickly shook off as much of the sand as they could before crawling over to one another. TK and Kari threw their arms around each other's backs and pulled their love into a tight embrace.

Kari let out a loud sigh of relief and took several deep breaths. The tight embrace meant both her and her boyfriend were fine and had managed to avoid any serious injuries. Feeling TK's tight grip around her body gave Kari a sense of safety and a belief that somehow everything would be alright as long as they were together. Her boyfriend's presence and the Light of Hope emanating from inside his body always helped to calm her even in the worst of situations, just like this.

Daemon's manic and sadistic laugh caught the attention of both teens. The large demon Digimon landed on the beach in front of the two Digidestined. Kari and TK quickly glanced around and realised they were trapped with no obvious way to escape. Daemon stood in front of them. To one side was the Dark Ocean itself and to the other side there was the shear rock face of the cliff that they had no hope in climbing. Finally behind them stood the ten shadow creatures that had the help of more dark tendrils than either of the teens could count.

Kari knelt there in the tight embrace with TK, frightened about what was going to happen next. However, her fear started to slowly fade as the seconds passed by without any of the dark creatures making a move. It puzzled her as she and TK both glanced between Daemon and the ghost-like creatures that had been chasing them. That was when Kari noticed the menacing glare in the shadow creatures' eyes but to her surprise it was aimed at Daemon, not her or TK.

"Dragomon must be desperate if he is trying to bring the Digidestined of Light and Hope into this world," Daemon laughed, clearly amused by the presence of Kari and TK in the Dark Realm. "I can't believe he is still trying to make the Chosen of Light his bride by tainting her. I thought he would have learnt that he should have just killed her by now."

"The Queen of Light is ours," one of the ghost beings spat back angrily. "She will help our master and we will be victorious. He will take her light and taint it with his darkness."

Confused expressions formed on both TK's and Kari's faces. They had no idea what was going on because they had expected the shadow creatures and Daemon to be working together to capture them. However, it seemed like the exact opposite was happening and that they were actually fighting.

"I can see why Dragomon thinks he needs her power because his control of the Powers of Darkness is pathetic," Daemon laughed again before he gave one simple click of his fingers. The dark tendrils suddenly dissipated, leaving no trace that they were ever there. "If that is the best he can do then there is no chance of him winning. Just like there is no chance of you Deep Ones winning against me now."

The ghost creatures, which were apparently called Deep Ones, huddled together and murmured in an angry manner. They seemed to be discussing something but neither TK nor Kari could hear what they were saying.

Daemon snorted in amusement. "I'll just have to make sure that his only hopes die right here, right now. Evil inferno!"

A ball of pure red hot fire formed in the palm of Daemon's right hand. He laughed sadistically as he drew his arm back, readying the attack. The evil Digimon then thrust his right arm forwards and released the fireball.

Kari's and TK's eyes opened wide in horror as they realised the attack was coming straight at them. Kari knew there was no way they could escape it. She instinctively turned her back to the fireball and felt TK cover her body with his own. The teen girl felt him grip her as tightly as he could in an attempt to use his own body to protect her.

"Break the link!" One of the Deep Ones yelled out in panic. "Break the link now!"

"Send them back!" Another one screamed as the attack continued towards its target.

Both Kari's and TK's bodies started flickering even more than they were. They became more transparent as they turned into black and white static fuzz. Both teens completely disappeared just before the fireball smashed into the sand, melting some of the grains on impact.

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TK's bedside lamp was shining on his body as he tossed and turned on his bed. His skin was covered in a glistening cold sweat that was caused by his nightmare. His green bedcovers had long since been kicked off onto the floor, exposing the scars on his torso and left arm. He kept tossing and turning in his sleep with expressions of panic regularly crossing his face.

The blonde boy's body was flickering and had the appearance of the static of a poorly tuned analogue TV. It was the third night in a row that this had happened to him but it hadn't been this bad in during the previous nights. He mumbled Kari's name several times as he rolled onto his side once more.

A rookie Digimon with large batwing-like ears sat on the edge of TK's pine bedside table. The top half of his body was a warm orange and his stomach was cream in colour. The guinea pig-like Digimon's panic and fear were etched across his face and obvious in his ocean blue eyes. He frantically glanced around the room, trying to find something that would wake up his human partner from the nightmare he was currently in.

The little Digimon, Patamon, had been brought back to Earth by TK to help the blonde teen. TK had told Patamon about the nightmares of the Dark World as soon as he had started having them and they both agreed it would be best if the rookie Digimon kept an eye on him in case something like this happened. The idea was that Patamon could wake TK up if he started flickering just like he was now. However, things weren't as simple as they seemed.

Patamon had been trying everything to wake up his partner but nothing was working. He'd tried jumping on TK's chest, pulling his eyelids open and even shouting in his ear several times. The little Digimon was now desperately trying to come up with another plan that would wake his friend up.

His gaze then locked onto the full glass of water that was next to him on the bedside table. He remembered something from a movie he had once watched while he was on Earth. One of the characters had used a glass of water to wake up someone who was sleeping or unconscious or something like that.

At this point Patamon was willing to try anything. He placed his sticky black paws on the glass and carefully moved it to the edge of the bedside table. Patamon then wrapped his arms and legs around the glass before using his ears to fly into the air. He hovered over TK, who rolled onto his back once more, before tilting the glass and pouring the water over his friend's face.

The rookie Digimon quickly placed the glass back down on the pine table. He turned around expecting TK to be wide awake but, much to his dismay, the teen boy still wouldn't wake up. He started frantically looking around the room yet again for something that might work.

"TK!" Patamon screamed his partner's name as he gave up the search. He jumped onto his partner's chest and pulled his right paw back. Patamon then swung his paw straight at TK's face, slapping the blonde teen across his left cheek.

Patamon continued to slap TK's face as tears started to build in his ocean blue eyes. To say he was panicking would be the understatement of the century. He continued to slap his friend in desperation. The dam holding his tears back suddenly broke and the salty water started streaming down his face. Then an idea came into his head. It was a desperate one but it might just work. Patamon flew up into the air above his friend and readied himself by taking in a huge breath.

"Kari!" TK screamed his girlfriend's name as he lurched forwards. His sapphire eyes were now wide open and filled with a mixture of panic and concern.

The teen boy took several deep breaths as he glanced around his room and realised he was ok. He quickly wiped the sweat and water off his scared face with his left hand before he glanced over to his bedside table. TK's gazed fixed onto his green flip phone and he quickly grabbed it with his right hand.

"What happened?" Patamon asked with his concern and panic clear in his voice. "Are you ok?"

"It was Daemon," TK replied in an equally panic-filled tone as he hit the speed dial button for Kari on his phone. "He nearly got both me and Kari. I have to make sure she's ok."

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Ok, so that was the first chapter of The Wave of Darkness. I hope it wasn't too long but I wanted to get the whole of the nightmare out of the way in this chapter. I know that 6,500 plus words can be a little difficult to read in one go, so if it was then I apologise.

I guess now would be a good time to mention updates. I don't think I'm going to be able to update this as regularly as I updated Better the Devil You Know. The reasons for it are that I'm going to be really busy over the next few months and I'm also going to be working on some other fics I have in the pipeline. So I'm going to try and keep to a schedule of an update every month for this story. I hope that is ok with you guys.

And one final author's note. I know this chapter was TK and Kari heavy and the next few chapters will be as well. However, I promise that other Digidestined will appear towards the end of the first arc (chapter five or six) and then will play key roles in the rest of the fic.

Anyway, please let me know what you think to this chapter by clicking on the blue review button below =D


	2. Taken From Within His Grasp

**Chapter 2: Taken From Within His Grasp**

Good day everybody. Thanks for the great reviews of the first chapter. I'm glad you all liked the start of the fic and I hope this chapter also lives up to your expectations.

Right, disclaimer time. I don't own Digimon or any other copyright thing I mention in this chapter. I would have made more use of the Dark Ocean plot if I did own Digimon.

And on with chapter two …

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Kari tossed and turned in her sleep as her nightmare continued. Her bedroom was almost completely dark with the only source of light coming from the red digits of her alarm clock. She turned again, clenching her pillow as hard as she could in her balled fists. Her violent movements had inadvertently thrown her pink bedcovers off, leaving her in just her large pink t-shirt, which covered her flat stomach and ample sized breasts, and her quite short pink sweat shorts that hugged the curves of her hips and exposed her long smooth legs to the air. She was breathing heavily and her soft skin was covered in a cold sweat that had been brought on by the events of her bad dream. Her body was flickering like the static of a detuned TV and expressions of panic and fear were etched on her face.

A white cat-like Digimon with purple tipped ears, yellow gloved paws and a purple and white striped tail stood on the bed watching her human partner with an extremely concerned expression showing in her ocean blue eyes. The Digimon, Gatomon, knew that the Creatures of the Dark World were trying to pull Kari into their realm again because her friend only ever had nightmares like this one when that evil dimension was involved.

Gatomon had been brought back to Earth by Kari after the brunette teen had admitted to her that she was having nightmares about the creatures that lived in the Dark Ocean again. It was originally meant to be just a precaution in case something did happen but, after the nightmare Kari had during the previous night, Gatomon knew things were a lot worse than her partner had made out. She even thought TK might be involved somehow because he had asked Patamon to join him on Earth too.

Gatomon's ocean blue eyes watched as her human partner turned in her sleep once more. The feline Digimon had tried to wake Kari to get her out of the nightmare but nothing was working. She had tried jumping on her, shaking the brunette girl's head and she had even tried turning the reading lamp on and off several times. The only options left were yelling, waking up Kari's parents and asking them for help or actually slapping or scratching her. None of those were really preferable options to Gatomon because she knew her human partner wouldn't like any of them. Getting Tai wasn't an option either because he had moved into a flat on the campus of the university he was studying at.

Kari suddenly rolled onto her front before curling up on her elbows and knees. An expression of shear terror formed across her face as she griped her pink pillow as tightly as she could. Tears started leaking from the corners of her tightly closed eyes, telling Gatomon that something terrible was happening. The cat Digimon decided she had to do something and pulled back her right paw to slap her human partner.

Kari's mahogany brown eyes suddenly opened wide as she gasped for air. She lurched back so she was on her knees and quickly glanced around the room. Her breathing remained heavy as the tears continued to flow from her eyes and down her cheeks. The expression of terror and panic remained on the teen girl's face as her eyes fixed onto her pink flip phone that was sat on her wooden bedside table.

Gatomon watched as Kari finally realised her pillow and reached out for her phone. The feline Digimon noticed her partner's body was no longer fuzzy and flickering, telling her that the Dark Ocean had stopped trying to take her for a moment. Gatomon sighed in relieve because she really didn't want to slap or scratch her friend like she was going to do.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Gatomon asked with her concern clear in her voice.

"It was those creatures that live in the Dark Ocean. Daemon was there too," Kari quickly replied in a panic filled tone as she flipped her phone open and stared at it. She looked as if she was expecting someone to ring her at any second. "The shadow creatures tried to capture me and TK then we ran into Daemon. He tried to kill us."

"Daemon?" Gatomon's eyes shot wide open and her ears moved fully forwards.

Kari nodded in replied before her phone started ringing. The sixteen year old girl quickly pressed the green answer button and placed it against her right ear. She took in a deep breath. "TK, are you ok?"

"Kari," Gatomon heard TK's voice leave the speaker of the phone. His tone was shaky and his breathing was just as heavy as Kari's. "I'm fine now I've heard your voice. How about you? Are you ok?"

Kari glanced down and quickly inspected her body. Nothing hurt and she couldn't see any injuries "Yeah, I'm fine, other than my nerves being shaken up."

"I guess this means that the creatures of the Dark World and Daemon are after both of us, huh?" TK stated to confirm everything that had just happened was not just in his nightmare but in Kari's as well.

"Yeah," Kari sighed as she ran her hand through her messed up chocolate brown hair. "That was too close for comfort. Daemon nearly killed us."

"We have to do something about this right now," TK's tone sounded more confident and serious as his words left the speaker of the phone.

"What do you suggest we do?" Kari asked, willing to let her boyfriend take the lead on how to tackle the problems with the Dark World even though she had more experience with those creatures. It was more of an instinctive reaction that anything because she knew TK would keep her safe. History had already proved that on several occasions.

"I say we meet up at the beach as quickly as possible," TK suggested. "As it's the middle of the night, we can fly there on Pegasusmon and Nefertimon and meet up at the seafront near our old elementary school. Then we will be together and we can deal with those shadow creatures if they try to take us again."

"Right," Kari replied as she slid off her bed and stood up to get ready. "I'll meet you there in a few minutes. Oh and ring me if anything happens, ok TK?"

"I will," he replied. "And you do the same if the creatures start trying to take you again."

"Oh, I definitely will," Kari answered as she reached over to the lamp that sat on her bedside desk and turned it on. "Love you."

"Love you too," TK finished before they both hung up and Kari placed her phone down on her desk next to her D-Terminal and pink and white digivice.

The brunette teen quickly grabbed her white spaghetti strapped top and her stone washed light blue jeans off her chair and threw them on her bed. She then glanced down at the oversized pink top that she slept in. Her sweat had soaked into the garment and it was sticking to her skin. Kari groaned in annoyance as she peeled off her top and threw it into her washing basket. Her pink shorts quickly followed before she slipped her legs into her jeans and pulled them up. She fastened the buttons and belt before she picked up her white top. Kari slid her head into the top before she pulled it down over her ample breasts and flat stomach.

She darted back over to her desk and grabbed her pink and white digivice to clip it onto her belt. She then placed her D-Terminal in the right pocket of her jeans before sliding her phone, purse and keys into the left pocket. Kari quickly slipped on a pair of pink socks and sprayed herself with perfume. She wished she had more time to make herself look more presentable or even have a wash but that would waste precious minutes. Besides, TK had seen her in worse states in the time they had been a couple and it wasn't like he would take the time to freshen up before racing to meet her when the situation was this bad.

"Let's go, Gatomon," the teen girl spun around and headed for the door. "And keep it quiet. I don't want to wake up my parents."

"I'm a cat, Kari. Sneaking around quietly is my speciality," Gatomon purred with a smirk on her face. She turned out the lamp before sprinting across the bedroom to join her partner at the door.

Kari quietly opened her bedroom door and stepped out. The whole apartment was pitch black so she had to carefully tip-toe down the corridor and into the living area. Right now the brunette girl was really jealous of Gatomon because she knew that the cat Digimon could see in the dark and didn't have any of her problems when it came to crossing the living area without making a noise.

Both of them made it to the hallway, where Kari took her pink and white running trainers off the pine shoe rack. She slipped them on her feet and tied the white laces before she grabbed her white jacket off the coat hooks. The teen girl placed her arms down the sleeves of the jacket before pulling her keys out of her pocket and quietly unlocking the apartment door.

Kari and Gatomon snuck out of the main entrance to the Kamiya apartment before Kari carefully closed the door and locked it once more. The partners then turned and started to silently make their way down the corridor to the lift. However, after the first few steps, Kari decided it didn't matter if she was silent anymore because she was no longer in her apartment. The brunette teen burst into a sprint and headed for the lift. Gatomon matched her partner's speed as they darted over to the metal doors at the end of the hallway. Kari pressed the button on the left as soon as they reached it. It wasn't long before the lift arrived at their floor and the clunky doors slid open.

"I wonder, what do the Creatures of the Dark Ocean want with TK?" Kari pondered as she and Gatomon stepped into the lift. She pressed the button for the lobby straightaway and the doors slid closed behind them.

"I don't know," Gatomon replied as she gave the matter some thought. "There are two options. The first is that they want to convert him to darkness in the same way they want to convert you. The second option is that they want to kidnap or kill him because he might be the only person who can save you from that world."

"They said that they want to punish TK for some crime," Kari spat in anger as she recalled what was said during her nightmare. "So I doubt they'll want to convert him."

"I guess the crime is protecting you and keeping you safe from them," Gatomon thought aloud while impatiently tapping her right paw on the ground.

"Probably," Kari growled. She hated the idea that TK could be hurt because of her again. "I can't let anything happen to him."

"He's probably saying the same thing about you right now," Gatomon said in a matter of fact tone as the lift finally reached the lobby and the doors slid open.

"I know," Kari replied as she and her Digimon partner sprinted out off the lift and across the lobby to the glass doors of the main entrance. She pushed the doors open before unclipping her digivice from her belt and taking her D-Terminal out of her pocket. As soon as she was on the street, the brunette girl turned to Gatomon and pointed her digivice at her. "Digi-armour energise!"

"Gatomon armour digivolve to …" A bright white light erupted from both Kari's digivice and D-Terminal and encased Gatomon. The cat Digimon's body rapidly expanded as silver plates formed around her chest, shoulders, forelimbs and face. Two large white angelic wings protruded out of her back as the Crest of Light formed on her chest plate. Her head armour took on a similar appearance to that of a sphinx. The divine light of digivolution died down to reveal her white fur, yellow paws and white and purple striped tail as well as the golden trim to her silver armour. "… Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"

Kari quickly slipped her D-Terminal back into her pocket and clipped her digivice back on her belt. She then majestically leapt onto the giant cat's back and tightly gripped her armour. "Let's go Nefertimon, head for the seafront near my old elementary school."

"Right," Nefertimon nodded before she jumped into the air and started flapping her wings. She soared up into the sky and head towards the beach, completely unaware that her digivolution had been seen.

A black car was parked on the street outside Kari's apartment complex. A young woman with auburn hair sat in the driver's seat of the car, watching Kari and Gatomon. The woman, who was wearing a white shirt and a black tie under her black suite, had taken photographs of everything. She set her camera down and quickly started the car to pursue Kari and Nefertimon.

The wind rushed through Kari's already messy hair as Nefertimon flew at maximum speed towards the beach. They were both completely oblivious to the car trying to follow them in the streets below. The chill of the wind sent a shiver travelling up Kari's spine. She fastened her jacket all the way up to try and keep herself warm. The cold reminded her of the beach in the Dark World.

It wasn't long before Kari spotted the silhouette of another Digimon flying over the buildings of Odaiba. She knew exactly who it was and recognised him straightaway when she was close enough to make out his features. The Digimon had orange fur, a cream coloured stomach and golden armour on his head, chest and hooves. Golden angelic wings protruded from the horse-like Digimon's back and they were flapping away as he raced to the meeting point. The Digimon was Pegasusmon, Patamon's armour digivolution form.

TK was riding on Pegasusmon's back. Kari could make out his green jacket and black jeans as Nefertimon changed her flight path to follow Pegasusmon down to land. The two armour Digimon started spiralling to loose the speed they had built up as they came in to land. They set down on the beach and let their human partners leap off their backs before reverting back to Patamon and Gatomon.

Expressions of relief formed across TK's and Kari's faces as they darted towards each other. Both of them felt a lot safer now they were together. Kari slid her right arm around her boyfriend's back and her left arm around the back of his neck. TK placed his left arm around the base of his girlfriend's back and his right hand on the back of her head. Kari rested her head on TK's shoulder as the teens pulled one another into a tight embrace.

Patamon and Gatomon mirrored the actions of their partners. The two Digimon pulled one another into a hug but they took it one step further. Patamon placed his lips up against Gatomon's as they tightened their embrace.

They had entered a romantic relationship not long after TK and Kari had become a couple during the battles with Neodevimon two years ago. Gatomon had been helping Patamon deal with the stress the battles had put him under. As a result, they had spent a lot of time together talking about very personal things, which led to them admitting they had feelings for each other. The two Digimon pulled back as they ended their quick kiss. They then took a hold of the other's paw as they turned to face their human partners to find out what they were going to do now the four of them were together.

TK and Kari remained in their tight embrace without saying a word. They were both relieved that they weren't hurt and had managed to escape Dragomon's attempt to capture them during their sleep. The presence of the one they loved did a lot to calm their nerves down and eased their anxieties about the developing situation involving the Dark World.

After a minute or so, Kari lifted her head off her boyfriend's shoulder so she could gaze into his sapphire blue eyes. She could see that TK hadn't slept well and that he had rushed to the seafront just as quickly as she had. His golden blonde hair was a complete mess, like her chocolate brown hair, and she could see the tiredness in his eyes. The teen girl guessed the latest nightmare had shaken him just as much as it had shaken her.

Kari continued to gaze into TK's eyes as she felt his hand glide from the back of her head to her face. He carefully and gently brushed the stray strands of her silky hair out of her face and placed them behind her ears. Kari smiled gratefully at her boyfriend as she felt his hand rest on her cheek. TK cupped her soft cheek and tilted her head slightly to the right. The brunette teen's heart started racing with excitement because she knew what was coming next.

The couple closed their eyes and opened their mouths in anticipation of the kiss. Kari placed her right hand on the back of her boyfriend's head and she ran her fingers through his hair. She noticed his hair felt damp and assumed it was caused by him sweating like she had done during the nightmare. Kari didn't dwell on it and let the urge to express her feelings for TK takeover. Her desire for the kiss made the teen girl push her chest and hips up against his as they tightened the embrace further. Then their lips finally met, signalling the start of a passion filled kiss.

Joy and excitement spread through TK's and Kari's bodies as their soft lips glided over one another's. Every kiss always seemed to remain special and as good as or better than the previous one, no matter how many times the couple had expressed their love in that way. They pulled their heads back slightly before opening their mouths a little wider and pushing forward for more. The young lovers repeated their actions over and over, adding more passion with each movement of their perfectly synchronised lips.

Patamon and Gatomon watched and patiently waited as their human partners continued with their show of affection for one another. TK and Kari both knew their actions conveyed their emotions better than any words could. The teens kept their kiss going until the need to breathe took over and they reluctantly pulled their lips apart.

The couple reopened their eyes and gazed lovingly at each other. They were both breathing heavily as they tried to get some oxygen back into their bodies. They remained standing there silently in their tight embrace because they were relieved to be in each other's arms and safe from the Dark World for the moment.

"So what are we going to do about the Dark World trying to take you two?" Gatomon asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group. She didn't really want to because she could tell Kari and TK really needed each other's company at that moment. However, she also knew they had to come up with a plan to deal with the Creatures of the Dark Ocean that were in both of the humans' nightmares. After all, that was why they had rushed to meet up in the first place.

"We're going to have to keep a constant watch over each other," TK replied as he and Kari released one another from their embrace. He turned to face the Digimon as he took Kari's hand in his. "That way we can attempt to do something if Dragomon tries to take one or both of us again."

Kari nodded in agreement with her boyfriend as she entwined the fingers of her right hand with those of his left hand. "If we're together then we might be able to fight the darkness more easily than if we're on our own."

"Or, at the very least, we would know straightaway if one of us was taken," TK added as he glanced at Kari. "Then we would be able to rescue them a lot quicker."

"Good point. If we were apart then it could be hours before we knew something had happened," Patamon agreed with his human partner. "The quicker we react the less time TK or Kari would have to be alone in that world. Even a few minutes alone in the Dark World could prove to be fatal for either of them if what happened in your nightmares were to happen while you are actually there."

"How are Patamon and I going to keep a constant watch over you both while you are at school?" Gatomon asked, ignoring the black car that passed by on the road that ran parallel with the beach. The black car took the next right and disappeared out of sight.

TK sighed and ran the fingers of his spare hand through his golden blonde hair as he thought about Gatomon's question. "Kari and I will have to keep an eye on each other while we are in our classes. We can't risk either of you being seen."

"Besides, either Davis or Ken will be in the same lessons as us. They can find you if anything does happen," Kari added before she pursed her lips. "It's not ideal but it's the only option we really have, assuming Ken isn't having problems with the Dark World too."

"What about tonight?" Patamon asked as a thought entered his mind. "I don't think your parents will let you sleep in the same room as one another and that is when you are most likely to need help."

"We'll have to sort …" Kari started to reply but was forced to stop. She and TK both gasped as they quickly placed their hands on the sides of their heads.

"Kari!" Gatomon's eyes opened wide in panic as she noticed both the brunette girl's and TK's bodies flickering.

"TK! What's wrong?" Patamon asked with his concern clear in his tone. Both he and Gatomon bolted over to their human partners as they saw the teens' bodies turning to static for the second time that night.

Kari suddenly screamed out in pain and collapsed to her knees. She held her head as tightly as possible in an attempt to try and stop the pain caused by the darkness. Her breathing became ragged as the throbbing only worsened. She was in so much agony that tears started streaming down her cheeks from her tightly closed eyes.

"Kari!" TK yelled as he reached out to try and help his love. He screamed in agony as soon as his hands left his head. The darkness from the evil realm increased the intensity of its attack on him too. TK fell to the floor and started writhing around in pain. He placed his hands back on the sides of his head and closed his eyes a tightly as he possible could.

Patamon and Gatomon didn't know what to do. They didn't know if there was anything they could do. They were forced to watch as their partners' bodies starting to become translucent. The two teens were flickering in and out of their world and had the appearance of the static of a poorly tuned TV. It was exactly the same as when they were having their nightmares less than an hour ago.

Both Kari and TK screamed again as the severity of the attack on their senses continued to increase. Kari dropped from her knees to the floor and started rolling around, crying out in agony. Her body was flickering a lot more than TK's, suggesting that the intensity of the attack on her was worse and that she was in a lot more pain than her boyfriend.

"TK, help me!" She cried out as her whole body started shaking. Her tears were streaming down her cheeks as she screamed once more. "Help me TK!"

"Kari!" The blonde boy yelled back, knowing he had to help his love. He forced his eyes open and used all of his strength to fight the pain in his head. TK slammed his fists into the ground and forced himself on to his hands and knees so he could crawl over to his girlfriend.

The static appearance of Kari's body continued to worsen as she started to disappear. Her body started to completely fade in and out of this world, meaning the Creatures of the Dark Ocean were on the verge of taking her to their realm. The attack of the darkness was much more powerful and much quicker than any of the previous times they had tried to capture her.

TK reached out to Kari in an attempt to try and help her in some way. He had no idea what he was going to do but he hoped he could do something. The teen boy could see his girlfriend was almost completely static and flickering in and out of existence. He went to place both of his hands on her head, forcing back the increasing pain in his own body as he did so. TK could feel her hair on his hands. She was within his grasp and he knew if he could hold her then he could somehow save her. His hands were just about to grip her head but then Kari completely vanished, leaving him to fall face first into the sand.

TK quickly pushed himself out of the sand and glanced around, trying to find her. His pain and panic were clearly written across his face as what had happened started to sink in. "NO! KARI!"

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Sorry about the cliff-hanger but it was the best place to end this chapter.

I have one final author's note for those of you that are wondering what happened in the three years between Better the Devil You Know and this fic. I will get to everything that has changed in the time between the two stories as soon as the opportunity arises. It will probably be when Tai and Matt make their first appearance in a few chapters time.

Please click the review button below and let me know what you think to this chapter =D


	3. The Dark World

**Chapter 3: The Dark World**

Heya peeps. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Thanks for the support guys.

Right, the disclaimer … I don't own Digimon or any other copyrighted things I happen to mention in this story. Gabumon's fur would still be dry clean only if I did own Digimon.

Now it's time to continue on from the cliff-hanger at the end of the last chapter …

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The pain continued to pulse through Kari's head as she writhed around on the sand in complete agony. The darkness had never attacked her this quickly and with this much ferocity when it had tried to take her in the past. Her whole body hurt as the evil power continued to assault her. Kari felt like her head was going to implode or explode, making her scream out in pain. Her tears continued to stream down her cheeks. There was nothing she could do to fight it. The darkness was just too powerful and she somehow knew it had taken her to that evil realm.

The agony finally started to subside as the darkness began to ease off, leaving Kari with a throbbing head and aching body. She kept her eyes closed and took in several deep breaths in an attempt to force the remaining pain to go away. The Digidestined of Light tried to use her sixth sense that could detect the Powers of Light and Darkness to find out where she was, but for some reason she couldn't. She wanted to know whether she was still on Earth or if she had been pulled into the Dark World.

Kari winced in pain and held her head as tightly as possible, recoiling from the attempted use of her extra sense. She guessed that the strength of the attack from the Powers of Darkness had temporarily blinded her ability to determine what was light and what was evil. The teen girl likened it to being temporarily blinded after someone had shined a bright light into her eyes or being momentarily deaf after hearing an extremely loud sound, like an explosion. Kari hoped it would return soon because she had a feeling that she would need it. Something really didn't feel right.

"TK? Gatomon?" She called out for her boyfriend and Digimon partner in a quivering, weak voice. She was hoping they were still with her because that would at least mean she wasn't on her own. Being alone was the last thing she wanted if she was in the Dark World. "TK, are you there?"

She heard no reply. There was complete silence apart from the sound of gentle waves. The brunette teen knew she was alone and that could only mean one thing. She was in the Dark World. Panic spread through her mind as that fact registered. Kari knew she was now on her own in the place of her nightmares without Gatomon or TK and Patamon to protect her.

Kari continued to take deep breaths and she realised that panicking would get her nowhere. It would only be a matter of time before TK would be there to rescue her. That was something she was sure of. He was always able to rescue her so all she needed to do was keep herself safe until he arrived.

The first step to keeping herself safe was to work out her surroundings. Kari tried to utilise her extra sense once more but it still hurt too much to use it. She guessed that she would just have to use her normal senses until it returned. The teen girl knew there was cold sand under her and a chilly breeze blowing around her. She could also smell the salt of the sea but it was mixed in with something rotten and disgusting that she hadn't smelt while she was on Earth. The sound of waves slowly rolling up the beach was all she could hear. At least there weren't any explosions like there were in her and TK's last nightmare.

Kari finally removed her hands from her throbbing head and placed them on the ground to push herself into a sitting position. She took in another lung full of the putrid air before opening her eyes. It took a few seconds for her sight to adjust to her surroundings but, once it did, her eyes confirmed her worst fears.

The whole scenery looked as if the colour had been almost completely sucked from it. Everything was grey with only a slight tint of its natural colour left. The rolling waves of the Dark Ocean spread out to the horizon. Grey clouds hung like a thick blanket in the sky, letting very little light through to the surface of this world.

Kari quickly gazed down at her body. She had stopped flickering like the static of a detuned TV and she definitely wasn't translucent anymore. Her body, her white jacket and her stone washed blue jeans were all completely solid. That meant she was fully in the Dark World and needed rescuing.

Kari glanced around to take in the rest of her surroundings. She hoped that TK might be nearby, either unconscious or a little too far away to hear her when she had called for him. The brunette girl gazed to her right, then to her left and finally behind her but she still couldn't find him. That was definite confirmation that she was on her own.

She continued to look around so she could work out an escape plan if those shadow creatures turned up. Behind her was a shear cliff face with the edge of a dark forest starting at the top. Kari knew there was no way she could escape up that. The white jagged cliff face arced around to her left and formed a headland that jutted out into the Dark Ocean. There was a tunnel that appeared to lead through the headland and out to something on the other side.

Kari's gazed followed the cliff and her eyes opened wide when she spotted something familiar off in the distance. There were the remains of a white lighthouse that had been destroyed at the far end of the headland. It was the same lighthouse that Pegasusmon had destroyed the first time she had been pulled into this world. Kari guessed that the tunnel to her left was the tunnel she had entered the first time she was here and that it led through the cliff to the beach she was on nearly four years ago.

She then glanced to her right and was relieved to see the beach spreading out for several hundred metres. The cliff face ran parallel with it but its height gradually lowered as the rock dipped into the sand. It finally stopped where the shore curved around and appeared to follow the edge of a river that was entering the sea. Kari decided that was the direction she was going to run in if trouble arrived because she didn't fancy entering that tunnel, even though she thought that she knew where it led.

The teen girl gingerly pulled herself to her feet. She rubbed her temples once more to try and ease the aching pain in her head. Kari noticed that the pain was slowly going away and that she was beginning to sense the darkness of the realm she was in. She could sense that there was evil everywhere. The whole world felt as if it was completely covered by darkness. Kari's sixth sense continued to return to her but she wished it hadn't when she sensed what was nearby in the Dark Ocean.

Kari could pick out at least ten individual sources of darkness similar to those of the shadow creatures. She remembered that Daemon had referred to them as Deep Ones in her last nightmare. Her extra sense continued to improve and started to pick out more and more Deep Ones. However, it wasn't just the amount of those shadow creatures that scared her. The thing that frightened her the most was the two extremely powerful sources of evil lurking under the Ocean.

The most powerful of these sources was far off in the distance and some depth under the surface of the Dark Ocean. Kari assumed that it was the evil emanating from Dragomon himself, who was probably overseeing things to make sure that she was successfully captured. The second source was much closer and just beneath the surface. It wasn't as powerful as the far away source of evil but it was still definitely a force to be reckoned with. However, it was the familiarity of the darkness that unnerved Kari the most. She knew she had felt it somewhere before. It didn't feel right or powerful enough to be Daemon, although she couldn't rule it out.

Kari then took one last count of the numbers of the Deep Ones close to her under the surface of the sea. She gave up trying to count them almost straightaway, as there were too many for her to tally up. It was like an entire army had been sent to capture her, making Kari think that Dragomon must be really desperate for her to be his Queen. That was a thought that sent shivers up her spine and made her feel physically sick.

Ripples started to form on the surface of the Dark Ocean, capturing Kari's attention. The frog-like heads of several Deep Ones rose out of the water as they slowly made their way up the beach towards her. Their eyes were a menacing red and they were fixed on the Digidestined of Light. The humanoid body of the Deep Ones consisted of a ghost-like black mist that Kari knew, from experience, was actually solid despite their appearance. Their long arms swung back and forth as they slowly walked towards her on their spindly legs.

Kari gulped as she quickly considered her options. She could run along the beach or down the tunnel but it would only be a matter of time before the Deep Ones caught her. There was an entire army of them and she knew she wouldn't be able to escape them all, especially if those dark tendrils tried to catch her like they had tried to do in her nightmare. The brunette teen needed rescuing and she needed her heroes to arrive right now.

She thought back to how TK had saved her from this realm the first time she had been abducted by the darkness four years ago. Kari remembered that she had been concentrating on TK and calling out for him. That had somehow activated the light within her body and made a connection with the light of her boyfriend's body. The connection had allowed them to open a gateway between Earth and the Dark World, which meant Gatomon, TK and Patamon could rescue her.

Kari shut her eyes and started to concentrate. She pictured TK in her mind and focused on the warmth, comfort and safety of the light from his Crest of Hope. She tried to delve down into her own mind, body and heart in an attempt to activate her own powers at the same time.

Then she found something deep inside her. It was only faint to start off with but she had definitely connected with the light from somewhere. It gradually started to become more and more powerful as the connection became stronger. It was warm, it was comforting and it was what she recognised as safety. It was the Light of Hope that was coming from her hero and lover. It was TK.

"TK!" Kari screamed her boyfriend's name, begging him to save her. She was completely unaware that her body had started to glow brightly, halting the advance of the Deep Ones. Her body was emitting her crest's energy. She had an aura of brilliant white light that had a slight pink tint to it surrounding her.

"TK!" The brunette girl shouted out once more as her aura became brighter and stronger. The Deep Ones were forced to shield their eyes and turn their backs to the Powers of Light.

Kari placed her hands on her chest so they were over her racing heart. She could feel the light that was TK's hope reaching out for her. It was close, so close. She forced her light to reach out to him and gave it one last push.

"I'm coming, Kari." She thought she heard TK reply. Kari didn't know if she actually heard him or if it was in her head but she didn't care. His tone was calming and determined and she knew he was coming to save her.

A smile started to form on Kari's lips as she finally made a full connection with TK. She felt his hope combine with her light, allowing them to make the link that would allow him, Gatomon and Patamon to come and rescue her. They ripped apart the barrier between the Earth and the Dark World and created a passage that would only allow beings of light to travel between the two realms.

Kari called out one last time, pleading for TK to be her hero once again. "TK! Save me, TK!"

* * *

TK quickly pushed himself out of the sand. His pain and panic were written across his face as what had happened started to sink in. "NO! KARI!"

The blonde boy frantically glanced around for his girlfriend. He hoped that she was still on Earth, but really he knew she wasn't. He knew she had been taken from within his grasp by the Dark World.

The darkness continued to attack him, still trying to weaken him. His body was still flickering and had the appearance of a detuned TV. TK's whole body hurt but the worst pain was in his head. The darkness was attacking his extra sense, blinding it. It was like someone was shining an extremely bright light in his eyes but a million times worse. He felt like his head was going to explode.

"No! Kari!" TK screamed out again as he clenched his fists. He felt as if he had failed her. He was supposed to protect her. She was his girlfriend, the one person he loved more than anyone or anything else in any world. TK felt it was his job to keep her safe and he had let her down.

The pain in TK's head slowly began to fade away, telling him the attack was finally coming to an end. He quickly glanced at his hands and noticed the flickering was stopping, meaning that his body was returning to normal. He took several deep breaths to try and force the remaining throbbing in his head to go away.

"They took her," Gatomon hissed. Her voice was full of venom and her ocean blue eyes were narrowed in anger. She wanted to punish whoever had taken Kari.

Everything started to fall into place in TK's mind. The darkness only needed to take Kari. It didn't need or want him yet. Dragomon could come back and get him later but he wanted Kari now. Kari had been taken to keep her away from TK because he could protect her and Dragomon knew she was vulnerable on her own. It was a deliberate move to split them up and the attack on him was only to weaken him so that the darkness could take his girlfriend without a fight.

"No!" TK roared in rage as he curled his hands into fist and drew his arm back. He swung his right fist forwards, punching the soft dry sand under him. His left fist then followed as he laid strike after strike into the sand to try to relieve his fury and frustration. "No! No! No! No! NO!"

"TK," Patamon flew over to his partner and landed on the blonde teen's back. The rookie Digimon's tone was calm yet full of concern for his friend. He placed his little black paw on the side of TK's head as the Digidestined of Hope buried his right fist into the sand for the final time.

"I let her down," TK hissed as he ignored the throbbing in his head and the new pain in his fists from where the sand had grazed him. He let his head drop and left his hands buried in the sand. His tone became more despondent as he continued. "I'm meant to protect her and I let her down."

"There was nothing you could have done," Gatomon quickly replied in a stern manner. "There was nothing any of us could have done."

"We'll just have to rescue her like we did last time," Patamon added optimistically as an encouraging smile formed on his face. "Let's go to the point we were at four years ago and try to open a gate again."

"You haven't let her down yet, TK," Gatomon continued in her stern manner. TK glanced over at the cat Digimon and noticed her eyes were locked onto the scar down the side of his face. "However, if you stay here beating yourself up over this then you will be letting her down. Kari needs you TK and she'll be expecting us to rescue her. So pull yourself together and be her saviour once more."

"You're right," TK sighed before getting to his feet. He quickly inspected the grazes from the sand on his knuckles and realised that Kari was going to tell him off for injuring himself. He found it strange that he was actually looking forward to his ticking off but only because it meant he would be with her again. "Let's go and save her."

"Right, let's go to the spot we were at the first time Kari was taken," Patamon jumped off TK's back and took to the air.

"We don't need to," TK spoke in a serious tone as he gazed out across the ocean. "I think I can reach out to Kari from here. Where we are shouldn't matter because the connection is created by the light inside our bodies and not as a result of a weak point between the two worlds."

"You sounded like Izzy there," Patamon joked as he stared at his partner.

"Then try to create the connection with Kari's light now," Gatomon suggested as she realised that she might be able to get to Kari a lot soon than she thought.

TK nodded and closed his eyes. He started to concentrate on the Light of Hope inside his body, willing it to power up just like it had during the battle with Piedmon almost seven years ago. TK reached deep down inside himself and found the spark he needed. He began thinking about Kari. He thought about how he needed to rescue her and how he was her only hope.

A golden light slowly started to emanate from TK's body as the power of his hope continued to grow. He began concentrating on Kari's light and how it felt when he was around her. TK forced his Crest of Hope to reach out and search for Kari's Crest of Light. Then suddenly his extra sense noticed something. It was Kari's light. It felt faint as if it was off in the distance, like a beacon on the edge of the horizon.

"I've found her," TK announced as he dove down deeper into his heart to force his hope to make a connection with Kari. His body continued to shine brighter and brighter as his hope increased further. He could feel Kari's light becoming more powerful too and he realised she was reaching out for him.

Patamon started frantically flapping his ear-wings as the energy from the Crest of Hope flooded into his body. "I might have to digivolve. There's just too much power coming from TK right now."

"Good," Gatomon replied as she continued to focus on TK. "You might need that extra energy when we get into the Dark World."

TK's heart pounded away in his chest as he continued to concentrate on forming the bond with Kari. He knew he had to save the girl he loved and he was going to rip apart the barrier between two worlds just to rescue her. The blonde boy could even hear her calling out for him now his hope was tantalisingly close to her light.

"I'm coming, Kari," TK replied in a determined yet calm tone as he forced the light from inside his body to attempt one last big push. A smile spread across his face as the hope within him finally made a full connection with Kari's light.

TK felt the light of his hope combine with Kari's warm, soothing light. It felt great, just like when they were together, holding each other, kissing or making love. He could sense the bond between them tearing apart the barrier between Earth and the Dark World. It was creating a gateway for him and the Digimon to travel through so they could rescue Kari.

"TK! Save me, TK!" He heard Kari pleading for him to rescue her. His eyes shot open and his gaze fixed onto the bright white porthole before him. It hovered there in front of him and the Digimon, just like it had last time he tried this.

TK ignored the brilliant golden glow of his own body and focused on the bright halo of the figure on the other side. Kari was stood there with her hands over her heart. Her body was shining with her pink tinted light, which was creating the connection from her side. TK watched a smile form on her face now that she knew he was coming for her.

"Let's go!" The teen boy ordered as he took a running jump into the porthole. Patamon and Gatomon followed him into the bright light before the gateway closed behind them.

None of them had been aware of a tall blonde man in a black suit and white shirt who had watched the whole thing. He stood on a nearby street corner with the woman in a matching suit who had been following Kari. Both the man and woman had cameras in their hands and had managed to film everything, from the armour digivolutions to Kari being taken and TK going to rescue her.

TK felt the gateway between the Earth and the Dark World spinning him around like some kind of insane rollercoaster ride. That, combined with the rainbow coloured lights that were flying by him, really disorientated him and made him feel nauseous. He took a deep breath and focused on Kari at the end of the porthole. He could see her getting closer and closer.

Then wham. TK crashed face first into the sand of the beach in the Dark World. He groaned in pain before he heard Patamon and Gatomon slam into the ground next to him. The blonde teen quickly pushed himself up off the sand when he felt a familiar pair of soft gentle hands being placed on his back and shoulder.

He didn't need his sixth sense to know it was Kari. However, that didn't stop him from using it. TK knew he needed to know what they were up against so he ignored the pain caused by the darkness attacking him minutes ago and used his extra sense to survey the surrounding area. He could sense the evil that covered the realm he was now in. The blonde teen noticed there were hundreds of weak focus points of the dark energy, which he assumed were the Deep Ones or Scubamon. There were also two stronger sources of darkness. He assumed the strongest one that was far off in the distance and deep under the surface of the Dark Ocean was Dragomon, but he had no idea who the closer source of evil was. Although he had to admit that it was frighteningly familiar.

TK felt Kari help him to his feet as his sixth sense focused on her light once more. It was brilliant and beautiful, just like her. He gazed at his girlfriend, noticing the pink tinted glow of her body bonding with his own gold tinted aura. Her light was so powerful that he felt it might even be stronger than Dragomon's darkness. TK guessed that he and Kari both must be like two bright lights shining in a pitch black night to any creature that could sense the Powers of Light and Darkness.

Kari's mahogany brown eyes locked onto TK's sapphire pair as smiles of relief spread across their faces. She quickly wrapped her left arm around her boyfriend's neck and her other arm around his back to pull him closer. TK cupped her left cheek in his right hand and slid his left arm around her hips. They pulled one another so their bodies were flush up against each other's in a tight embrace.

The two lovers closed their eyes and tilted their heads slightly to the side. Their lips met one another's passionately, sending a wave of relief around their bodies. The kiss helped to remove some of the fear and panic the situation had caused. They now felt a lot safer because they believed that they could defeat anything when they were together, even the army Dragomon had sent to greet them.

* * *

I'm sorry if this chapter was a little repetitive. I wanted to show the connection being formed from both Kari's and TK's view and this was the only way to do it. Please let me know what you think by posting a review =D


	4. The Metal Dragon

**Chapter 4: The Metal Dragon**

Hey guys. Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter. I really appreciate them. Just so you know, I'm aiming to update this story every month and so far I've managed to stick to that. Hopefully that isn't too long between updates for you all.

And now the usual disclaimer. I don't own Digimon, Lovecraft or any other copyrighted stuff I mention in this story. Apparently it was Digimon's birthday on the 1st of August ... if I owned Digimon I would have made more of a fuss about its birthday.

Now it is time to pick up where the last chapter finished …

* * *

TK and Kari pulled back from their kiss. It was a brief yet passionate kiss that informed the other of their joy and relief that they were safe and together again. The teenage couple opened their eyes as they stepped back out of their embrace. TK's right hand glided from Kari's cheek, down her left arm to her hand. The couple entwined their fingers as they turned to observe the reactions of the Deep Ones.

The shadow creatures were cowering from the bright light still being given off by both TK's and Kari's bodies. The energy from the Crest of Hope and the Crest of Light made the creatures groan and wail as the light hurt them. Both teens quickly turned to their Digimon partners, who were now standing by their sides and ready for action.

"Digivolve!" TK and Kari ordered in unison. The light surrounding their bodies flared up further as it was channelled into their digivices. Suddenly the energy erupted out of the screens of the gadgets and a bright beam of light travelled straight for their Digimon. Patamon and Gatomon were completely engulfed by the divine power and their digivolutions began.

"Patamon digivolve to Angemon. Angemon digivolve to …" Patamon's body grew rapidly and took on a human male form. Eight white angelic wings protruded out of his back as a purple beam shield formed over his left arm. His white robes formed around his body before his grey boots took shape. A purple helmet covered his eyes as a purple wrist mounted energy sword, named Excalibur, powered up from his right wrist and completed his digivolution to the ultimate level. "… Magnaangemon!"

"Gatomon digivolve to …" Gatomon's body also rapidly grew as she took on the form of a human female. A grey helmet covered her eyes and tight white clothes covered part of her figure. Her white boots and gloves formed on her feet and hands as eight white wings protruded from her back and spread out. "… Angewomon!"

The Digidestined and Digimon of Hope and Light stood there on the beach in the Dark World with their light shining brightly. Some of the Deep Ones screamed out in agony as their eyes and extra sense couldn't tolerate the brilliant divine energy. However, despite their obvious pain, they still refused to return to the Dark Ocean. They stood their ground.

"I've told you creeps before," TK started in a stern, commanding tone. "Leave Kari alone! Stop hurting her and stop trying to capture her."

"And leave TK alone too," Kari demanded in an angry voice as she squeezed TK's hand. She wanted the creatures to stop troubling him as well. "I don't know what you think he's done but you had better stop trying to kill him."

"If you don't stop then we will be forced to retaliate and we can easily beat you," TK continued with his measured words. "You don't stand a chance. This is your only warning."

Several moments passed where the Deep Ones continued to groan as they tried to adjust to the unfamiliar light in their world. Eventually a few of them turned to face TK, Kari and the angel Digimon. They still had to use their long gangly arms to shield their eyes. After all, these creatures usually lived at depth in the darkest of oceans and rarely saw any light.

"The Queen of Light must become the bride of Lord Dragomon," a Deep One finally answered. The creature's voice showed the obvious pain that the light was still causing it.

"He must taint her light and turn her to darkness," another shadow creature took over. "The Queen is needed so we can win the war against the demon traitor."

A third one of the ghost-like beings joined in. "And the One of Hope must die. He must die so Dragomon can taint the Queen of Light. He must die for causing the war."

"He must die!" All the Deep Ones roared together. "We must punish him for his crimes!"

TK and Kari gulped and squeezed each other's hand tightly. They exchanged nervous glances as they came to the decision that they were going to have to fight to end this. The two teens gazed up at their Digimon partners and realised they had come to the same conclusion. Angewomon took to the air and hovered over the two Digidestined in a defensive position. Magnaangemon stood over TK and Kari with his purple beam sword at full power and ready to slice any enemy that came to close.

TK gritted his teeth as he returned his attention to the Deep Ones standing on the edge of the Dark Ocean. His eyes narrowed and he clenched his left hand into a fist. He responded to the creatures in a venomous tone. "What have I done? How did I cause a war? But most importantly, why can't you just leave Kari alone?"

"The Ones of Hope killed Neodevimon," replied one of the many shadow creatures. "He was sent to kill you by Daemon. His other order was to capture The Queen of Light for Lord Dragomon. When Neodevimon failed, Lord Dragomon rightfully punished Daemon because his subordinate was the one who made the error. Daemon retaliated and attempted treason. The resulting battle split our forces in two and plunged this world into war. So it is entirely your fault, One of Hope."

Kari growled in anger as she balled her spare hand into a fist. The memories of the final battle against Neodevimon came flooding back. TK and Kari were the only Digidestined present because they were the only two that he wanted alive. The devil would have killed any of the other Digidestined or Digimon on the spot if they were there. It wasn't worth the risk of having the whole group joining the battle when Magnaangemon and Angewomon could win the war by themselves.

The brunette teen glanced over at TK before her gaze returned back to the Deep Ones. She couldn't see the scar from that battle which ran down the left side his face because his right side was to her, but she knew it was there. The image of a cut up and bloodied TK laying unconscious on the Peak of Infinity Mountain filled her mind, making her narrow her eyes in anger. He had saved her from Neodevimon at the last possible second but at a price. His left arm was partially severed, there was a deep gash in his chest and a cut down his face. TK had nearly bled to death and Kari knew that if Dragomon was in any way connected to the horrors of that day then she was going to make him pay for it.

"I was in that battle too," Kari spat, daring them to change their opinion of her. "I'm just as responsible for it all as TK, or should I say the King of Hope, is. So what are you going to do about that? Do you still want me as your queen when I'm responsible for the war that you are fighting?"

She moved as close as possible to TK. They briefly exchanged a few expressions, sharing their views on what Kari had just said. The teen girl got the impression that her boyfriend was slightly amused with the idea of being a king. He probably would have laughed it off if the circumstances were better.

"Lord Dragomon needs you as his bride and your punishment for your involvement will be to watch the One of Hope die," answered the creature that appeared to be the leader of this group of Deep Ones. "That will help turn your power to darkness. You will then serve him and help us win the war here before turning other worlds to darkness. You have no choice, you must do it."

Kari snorted and venomously spat her reply. "I do have a choice. I choose TK as my love, which means if I am the queen then he is the king. I choose light over darkness and I will never attack anyone or any world for you or Dragomon. If you want me as your queen then accept TK as your king and turn on Dragomon. Defeat him and then defeat Daemon so you can live freely in this world."

"Never!" The Deep Ones roared together. A dark mist began to emit from their bodies and it appeared as if they were preparing to attack. "Those are treasonous words. Now you must come with us and be our Lord's bride."

Dark tendrils suddenly shot out of the beach and created a thick barrier that encircled TK, Kari and their Digimon. These tendrils were composed of a black mist-like energy of pure darkness and were exactly the same as the ones that had tried to snare Kari and TK in their nightmare. There were more dark vines than any of them could count. They swayed in the air as if they were just waiting for an order to attack.

Suddenly the tendrils sprung, diving for TK and Kari. Magnaangemon jumped into the air and quickly spun a complete 360 degrees. He had his sword fully outstretched, using it to slice through all of the vines that were charging at the two humans. The dark tendrils were no match for the angel Digimon as Excalibur easily cut through them. They turned into a black vapour before dissipating into nothing as if they had never been there in the first place.

There were several growls and roars of annoyance from the Deep Ones as they watched the darkness being defeated so easily. Their anger was steadily increasing, something that was physically shown by the ever increasing amount of dark energy surrounding them. They suddenly threw their arms forward in a motion that released the energy, sending it towards Angewomon.

Angewomon reacted quickly by placing the palms of her hands together. She channelled the pink tinted energy surrounding her body to her hands before she pulled them apart, creating a large pink cross. "Heaven's charm!"

The pink cross cut straight through the darkness and cascaded towards the attacking Deep Ones. The shadow creatures screamed in horror and agony as the light energy hit them. Their bodies were dissolved by the attack, leaving nothing behind.

Another wave of Deep Ones suddenly stormed out of the Dark Ocean towards the two Digidestined and Digimon. Angewomon repeated her attack, wiping out the second wave. A third wave just as quickly took its place, charging towards TK and Kari. Angewomon wiped them out too, this time with the help of Magnaangemon.

Magnaangemon had formed a rainbow coloured energy around his sword. The angel Digimon then channelled the power from The Crest of Hope into his weapon before pointing it towards the Dark Ocean. He released his attack as an energy beam that dissolved the Deep Ones in the same way Angewomon's attack had.

Kari wrapped her arms around TK and held him tightly. He responded by slipping his right arm around her back and placing his left arm across his love in a protective manner. The blonde teen could see the fear in Kari's eyes and she tightened her grip further as another wave of Deep Ones left the Dark Ocean.

TK forced his fear to the back of his mind as he continued to glare at the monsters trying to charge towards him and his love. He watched as another wave was wiped out by Magnaangemon and Angewomon and realised that the numbers of Deep Ones were quickly dropping. His sixth sense could tell that the amount of the shadow creatures had already been halved and that they were no match for the angel Digimon.

The remaining Deep Ones all charged at once. Hundreds of them stormed out of the Dark Ocean towards the Digidestined and Digimon of Light and Hope, but they were still no match. Angewomon and Magnaangemon continued to repel their aggressors using their attacks until there were none left.

The two angel Digimon finished the last of the creatures off before taking a breather. They hovered there in the air, surveying the scenery just in case anything else attacked. TK and Kari sighed in relief and relaxed a little too. However, they tensed up again when they realised the closer of the two extremely powerful focus points of evil was now coming towards them.

The evil creature suddenly stopped where it was and paused for a moment. A blanket of apprehension covered the battlefield as TK, Kari and the Digimon waited for this monster to make its move. Finally a large metal blade-like fin broke through the surface of the Dark Ocean. The blade part was silver and the body of the fin was gold with two circular holes and one triangular hole through it. The teens and Digimon gasped in horror when they realised who the creature was. Kari and TK tightened their grip of one another as they readied themselves to run.

The sea monster's head slowly surfaced, revealing its golden metal skin. Its nose was a grooved hexagonal gun barrel, which this creature fired its main attack from. It had a large mouth full of huge serrated teeth and its jaws looked like they could crush anything. Dripping wet long grey hair grew out from the back of the metallic monster's head.

The creature's red eyes glared at the two humans and Digimon in front of it as its body slowly rose from the water. The top half of its long dragon-like body consisted of silver metallic skin with several golden metal dorsal fins protruding from its back. The monster's underbelly was covered by gold armoured skin that was similar to the plating on its head. It had two fin-like claws coming out of its side and several pairs of jets running along its back. Finally the metal sea creature's forked tail lifted out of the Dark Ocean, revealing the spear tips on the end of each prong.

The evil metal dragon let out a twisted laugh as it coiled its body and took to the air. It towered over Magnaangemon and Angewomon. The sea monster was gigantic and it was still several hundred metres away from them.

"Metalseadramon!" Kari gasped as she stared at the sea dragon towering over them.

"We meet again Digidestined," Metalseadramon spoke in a low, twisted tone. "It is good to know that you remember me. I must have made quite an impression during our battles eight years ago. Of course I haven't forgotten you either and I'm going to take my revenge. What better way to have my revenge on the Chosen of Courage than to give his sister to the Lord of the Dark Ocean."

TK and Kari gulped as Metalseadramon pointed his gun barrel-like nose in their direction. They both remembered the sea dragon from their first adventure in the Digital World. He was one of the Dark Masters that had taken over while the Digidestined were on Earth fighting Myotismon. Metalseadramon had tried to kill them several times, which had resulted in the death of their friends Piximon and Whamon. It was Tai and Wargreymon who finally defeated the metal monster after Whamon had sacrificed himself to save them all.

"Dragomon doesn't want me to kill you, Chosen of Light, but that doesn't mean I can't weaken you or kill The Chosen of Hope and your Digimon," Metalseadramon continued. "I believe it is called ruffling a few feathers."

A blue light powered up in the metal monster's hexagonal nose. Looks of pure horror formed on TK's and Kari's faces as they realised what was happening. They gripped each other tightly and TK tried to position himself between Metalseadramon and his girlfriend.

Kari stopped him straightaway because she didn't want TK to get hurt while he tried to protect her. She held on to him as tightly as she could, knowing that if she did then nothing in the Dark World would be able to kill TK without killing her too. That meant her boyfriend would be safe because they wanted her alive.

"River of Power!" A blue energy beam erupted from Metalseadramon's nose and smashed into the beach, exploding as it made contact with the ground. The explosion sent out shockwaves that threw sand everywhere. The blast knocked Magnaangemon to the ground and a shockwave collected Kari and TK, launching them into the air. The two teens screamed as they were thrown several metres across the beach. They crashed into the dry sand and skidded to a halt.

Kari and TK groaned in pain as they pulled themselves to their knees. They were covered in grazes from a combination of sliding across the sand when they landed and the sand blasting caused by the initial explosion. The couple also knew they were going to have some bruises in the morning from the way their bodies ached.

"Celestial arrow!" Angewomon shouted the name of her most powerful attack. A white bow formed from her left glove while a glowing white arrow of light took shape in her right hand. She channelled the energy from the Crest of Light into the arrow before placing it on the bow and firing her weapon at Metalseadramon.

Magnaangemon took this as his opportunity to try and get TK and Kari to safety. He shook off the sand that he had been covered in and took to the air. The male angel flew directly over Kari and TK, scooping them up into his arms before flying up into the sky and taking up a position next to Angewomon.

Metalseadramon winced as the arrow of light struck his metal armour. It hadn't done any noticeable damage to him but it was obvious that light attacks hurt the giant sea monster. He growled and narrowed his eyes in anger as he glared at the Digidestined and Digimon of Hope and Light.

"You'll pay for that," Metalseadramon snarled as he pointed his nose mounted cannon in their direction once more. "River of Power!"

Another blue energy beam erupted from the dragon's gun barrel nose and cascaded towards the two angels. Both of them quickly veered off in opposite directions as the attack just missed them. The blue energy smashed into the cliff at the top of the beach and exploded, causing some of the forest to fall to the beach in a huge landslide.

"Let's get out of here," Angewomon yelled as she corkscrewed around and headed back towards Magnaangemon.

"Right," the male angel replied as they both started to ascend at maximum speed towards the grey clouds that covered the Dark World.

"Oh no you don't!" Metalseadramon roared as he began his pursuit of the angel Digimon. The blue energy started to form in his nose once more.

The light emitting from both the teens' and angels' bodies suddenly burst out into the Dark World. Metalseadramon roared in pain as the light blinded his eyes and sixth sense, forcing him to break off from the chase. The light energy continued to grow as the angel Digimon entered the clouds that blanketed that realm. The power from the Crests of Light and Hope combined once again to tear apart the boundaries between two worlds.

Magnaangemon and Angewomon flew straight into the porthole between the realm of darkness and the world of light, which they knew was the Digital World. They continued at full pace, knowing Metalseadramon could recover and follow them through at any moment. Multicoloured light streamed by them and the light at the end of the gateway became brighter and brighter as it came ever closer.

Suddenly the two Digimon burst into the Digital World and quickly closed the porthole behind them. The groups' eyes had to readjust to the beautiful morning sunlight coming from the great ball of fire starting to rise over the hills on the far horizon of the Digital World. The fresh air and warm light send waves of relief through the bodies of the two Digidestined and two Digimon because they all knew they were finally safe and out of the Dark World.

Angewomon and Magnaangemon landed in the meadow that they now found themselves in. The grass was long and filled with flowers of every colour. The scent of said flowers travelled in the gentle breeze that rolled across the meadow, making the grass sway and irritating the already awake and busy insects that were trying to get nectar from of the flowers.

Magnaangemon placed TK and Kari down in the grass before he and Angewomon reverted back to Patamon and Gatomon. The Digimon jumped into each other's arms in a celebratory hug before giving one another a quick kiss.

"Thanks for saving me, guys," Kari's voice was filled with her gratitude. She reached down to the two Digimon and stroked their heads. "I really appreciate it."

"Well done," TK added, patting them too after Kari finished praising them. He then turned to face his girlfriend. His sapphire blue eyes locked onto her mahogany brown pair and a smile spread across his face.

"Thanks TK," Kari smiled in appreciation as she closed the distance between them. "Thanks for coming to save me."

"It's no problem, Kari," TK replied as he slid his left arm around her back and placed his right hand on the back of her head. "I know you would come and save me if the roles were reverse."

"I love you, my hero," Kari grinned slightly deviously and she bit her bottom lip as she wrapped her arms around the back of her love's neck.

"I love you too," TK's mischievous smirk grew as he slowly lay down in the tall grass of the meadow, pulling Kari down with him.

TK lay with his back on the ground and Kari on top of him on all fours. They continued to gaze lovingly into each other's eyes as they closed the distance between their lips. Kari giggled as she placed both her hands on TK's cheeks and pressed her body against his. The two teens tilted their heads slightly to the right before they closed their eyes and opened their waiting mouths.

Kari's lips crashed against TK's as her desperation to show her gratitude to her love took over her actions. Her mouth pressed up against his before slowly pulling back. She then pushed forwards once more, deepening the kiss. The couple continued to passionately slide their lips back and forth over one another's as they lay there in the long grass. They were finally safe from the Dark World ... for the moment.

* * *

"NO!" Metalseadramon roared in pure rage. He slammed his forked tail into the Dark Ocean, spraying water everywhere and creating a huge wave. The wave rolled up the beach, slamming into the cliff before rolling over it and entering the forest. The metal dragon growled before turning and flying out over the ocean. He continued at high speed for several minutes before coming to a stop. He curled up into a helix when another creature broke through the surface of the water.

Two red wings slowly rose out of the Dark Ocean followed by the top of a bald humanoid skull. The rubbery skin of the head was blue with various red markings. The being continued to rise, revealing its red demonic eyes and several tentacles that surround its head and formed its top jaw. The sea monster's huge lower jaw was filled with sharp teeth that looked as if they could rip through anything.

The sea monster's humanoid torso was next to leave the ocean. It had a muscular upper body with the two red wings protruding from its back. A chain of black pearls hung from the creature's thick blue neck. The left arm, left leg and right leg of the monster were made up of an uncountable number of blue tentacles. Its right arm was one massive, powerful tentacle. The creature's limbs were bound together by solid steel chains except for its right leg, which was bound by two gold rings. Water cascaded over the monster's blue slimy skin as it gazed at Metalseadramon. The metal dragon bowed respectfully towards the fellow sea dweller that even towered over him.

"My apologies Dragomon," Metalseadramon's tone was cautious. "The Chosen of Light escaped and the Chosen of Hope is still alive. Their Digimon survived too."

"Don't worry, Metalseadramon," Dragomon replied in a deep bellowing voice. "We shall capture them soon enough."

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So who was expecting Metalseadramon? I decided to add him to the story to bring some of the other Digidestined, especially Tai and Matt, into the fic. He also adds more firepower to Dragomon's army. So what do you think? Please let me know by leaving a review =D


	5. The Power of Hope and Light

**Chapter 5: The Power of Hope and Light**

Hey guys. Thanks for the reviews of the previous chapter. I'm glad you all thought that the addition of Metalseadramon was a good thing. I have lots planned for him later in the fic ...

I don't own Digimon, Lovecraft or any other copyrighted stuff I mention in this story. Sometimes I wonder why I keep typing these disclaimers.

On with the story ...

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The morning sunlight shone through the window of the Kamiya apartment study. The light reflected off the white walls, the laminated wood floor and the white ceiling. A computer monitor sat on the modern brushed stainless steel and glass desk in the far corner of the room. The computer tower itself sat under the desk with its fans whirring away. It had been left on by Kari's father before he had set off to work earlier in the morning.

The monitor suddenly lit up and light spread out across the room. Several figures started to form within the beam of light as it deposited them on the floor with a loud thud. The bright light died down, revealing TK, Kari, Patamon, Gatomon and two more Digimon that they had decided to bring to Earth with them. The first of these Digimon was a small orange dinosaur with large green eyes, a large head and large claws. The second was a dog-like Digimon with six limbs. It had a large yellow horn coming out of the centre of its head, blue fur, a yellow stomach, yellow legs and a pink and blue emblem on its chest. These Digimon were Agumon and Gabumon, the partner Digimon of Tai and Matt. TK and Kari thought that their brothers would want their Digimon with them when they were going to tell their older siblings about the events of the previous night in the Dark World.

The group groaned in pain because the light of inter-dimensional travel had deposited them rather unceremoniously on the hard wooden floor. The rough landing wasn't exactly what Kari and TK really wanted or needed considering both of them were sore, grazed and bruised from Metalseadramon's attack. The two sixteen year olds untangled their aching bodies from each other's and the Digimon. The couple moved into kneeling positions before they started gazing into one another's relief filled eyes. They wrapped their arms around each other and sighed as they entered into a tight embrace.

The white wooden door swung open as a middle-aged woman entered the room. She had the same chocolate brown hair and auburn coloured eyes as Kari. The woman's figure was similar to Kari's too and anybody could tell that this was the teen girl's mother, Yuuko Kamiya.

Yuuko had an angry expression on her face as she stared at Kari and TK. She wondered what her daughter had been doing in what she assumed was the Digital World considering the time of day. The brunette woman glanced over the bodies of the two teens and noticed the sore red and grazed patches on their skin. She stepped into the room, keeping her stare fixed on Kari and TK.

"What are you two doing?" She demanded to know in a stern, low tone. "You have to be at school in twenty minutes! So, why have you been in the Digital World?"

Kari tightly gripped TK's jacket in her hands, keeping him as close as she possibly could. She turned her head to her left so she could see her mother. Kari quickly thought over how she should reply to her mother's question. Normally the teen girl wouldn't want her parents to worry about her and, as a result, would create a believable lie to make it sound like nothing bad was happening. However, this time it was different because both she and TK could be taken by the creatures in the Dark World at anytime.

After a few more seconds of thought, Kari replied. "I was kidnapped by some evil Digimon. TK and our Digimon had to rescue me."

"What do you mean kidnapped?" Yuuko's expression changed to one of concern. "Do you mean you went to the Digital World during the night and was kidnapped or …" The brunette woman paused as she thought about what the alternative was.

"They took Kari while we were here on Earth," TK replied through gritted teeth. "I went to rescue her and, when I got there, one of her kidnappers decided to toy with us. He deliberately used his attack to launch us across the beach. That's how we ended up getting all these grazes and bruises."

"You mean the Digimon can take you when you're on Earth?" Yuuko asked as her expression changed once more. She now had a shocked look etched on her face.

Both Kari and TK reluctantly nodded. Kari took a deep breath before answering. "Yeah, essentially. They weakened down TK's and my defences before taking me through the gateway. They're trying to kidnap me and force me to do their bidding. What is even worse is that they are trying to kill TK."

"Are you both ok?" Yuuko made her way over to her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend. She inspected them both for injuries as she knelt down by their sides. The brunette woman was doing her best to keep herself calm in the situation. She had a history of getting quite upset when her children were involved in things to do with the Digital World. Normally her husband, Susumu, was the calm one and the voice of reason. However, he was at work, meaning Yuuko had to be the composed and strong parent.

"I've got a few scrapes and bruises but it could have been a lot worse if TK hadn't saved me," Kari sighed as she gave TK a tight squeeze. "I've also got a massive headache. I feel sick and I'm also really tired."

Yuuko pursed her lips before the gaze of her auburn eyes fixed on TK. The scar on the young man's face always reminded her of how much Kari meant to him and that he would do anything to keep her safe. Apparently he had saved her daughter yet again. At least this time TK had managed to avoid any serious injuries but she still thought she had better check that he was ok just in case. "How about you, TK?"

"I pretty much feel the same way as Kari," TK replied in a tired tone.

Mrs. Kamiya thought about what would be best for them in the current situation and came to a quick decision. "Neither of you are going to school today. I'll ring up and tell them you are both sick. I'll also ring Nancy and let her know what has happened."

"Thanks Mom," Kari replied as a grateful smile spread across her lips. "I had better let Tai know what is going on too."

The brunette teen took a deep breath before she loosened her grip of TK. He released her from the embrace before he stood up and offered Kari his hand. Kari took his right hand with her left hand and let TK help her to her feet. She quickly entwined her fingers with his as the two teens followed Kari's mother and the Digimon out of the study and into the living area of the apartment.

Kari suddenly felt a sharp pain starting to form in her head. She gasped as the throbbing worsened and she realised what was happening. It was the pain she had felt earlier when the darkness attacked her and she had been pulled into the Dark World. Her sixth sense and light was being attacked for the third time that day.

The pain in Kari's head began to rapidly increase as the strength of the attack started building. She closed her eyes as tight as she could and released TK's hand so she could place both her hands on the sides of her head. It already felt like someone was trying to squash her whole brain and it was still getting worse. Tears began to stream from Kari's eyes as she dropped to her knees and screamed out in agony.

"Kari!" TK yelled her name with pain and panic clear in his voice. He could feel the darkness attacking him too, trying to wear him down so he couldn't help his girlfriend or so it could take him to the Dark World as well. The blonde teen knelt down beside Kari and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Suddenly both TK and Kari cried out and fell to the laminated wood floor. They began writhing around in agony for the third time in a matter of hours. The Digimon stared at them in a state of shock as they noticed the two Digidestineds' bodies were starting to flicker. The two teens' slowly began turning to static and their colour started to drain away, gradually turning them to various shades of grey.

Patamon and Gatomon snapped into action and darted over to their partners. They began shaking them, hoping it would somehow help the teens fight the darkness. The two Digimon honestly had no idea what to do as they hadn't been able to do anything in the past. They were joined by Gabumon and Agumon, who were also trying to do what ever they could to help.

"Fight it!" Gatomon yelled as she placed both her yellow gloved paws on Kari's head.

"Why are they flickering like that?" Agumon asked in a panic filled tone. He had both his hands on Kari, trying to help her as she writhed around on the floor.

"What's going on?" Yuuko was quickly turning hysterical. Her panic was written across her face as she knelt down next to the two teens and the Digimon. "What do you mean they're flickering? I can't see them flickering. What's doing this to them?"

"The Creatures of the Dark Ocean are trying to take them again," Patamon replied. Tears started to form in his ocean blue eyes because he knew that there was nothing he could do to help TK other than ordering him to fight it with the light inside his body. "Fight it! I know you can beat it, TK!"

"What do you mean you can't see them flickering?" Gabumon asked incredulously as he glanced between Yuuko and TK. "They look like the images on a broken TV!"

"Most humans can't see it," Gatomon informed her fellow Digimon without taking her eyes off Kari. "TK, Kari and Ken are the only humans who can see it because they are the only ones who can sense the Powers of Light and Darkness."

Another loud, pained scream left the mouths of both Kari and TK. The flickering was getting worse and the Digimon all knew there was nothing they could do to stop the darkness attacking the two Digidestined. They and Kari's mother were forced to watch as the teens were clutching their heads and squirming around on the apartment floor in agony.

"Help me!" Kari cried as she rolled over in the direction that she knew TK was in. She knew he would help her. She didn't know how he could help but he somehow always found a way to keep her safe. "Help me, TK!"

"Kari!" TK cried back as his instinct to protect her kicked in. He took several deep breaths to try and force back the pain that was now enveloping his whole body. He placed his hands on the floor and crawled over to Kari. He was determined to save her. The darkness was not going to take her from within his grasp like it had done during the night.

"Call Tai!" Gatomon yelled at Yuuko, pointing in the direction of the house phone. "We're going to need his help."

Yuuko knelt there, staring at Kari and TK. Her auburn eyes watched on because she couldn't do anything to save her daughter or TK. The hysterical expression on her face had only worsened and tears had started to roll down her cheeks. It took several seconds for Gatomon's words to properly register in her mind and even longer for Kari's mother to act on them.

"Right," she finally replied in a shaky, frightened tone. Yuuko got to her feet and ran over to the phone to ring Tai.

"Fight it, Kari!" TK spoke through gritted teeth as he tried to make the throbbing in his head go away. He forced his cobalt blue eyes to open and his gaze fixed on Kari. The darkness had completely blinded his sixth sense, meaning he couldn't feel Kari's light in any way. That was something that scared him more than the idea of him being taken to the Dark World. The teen boy could see his girlfriend's body flickering just like his. He knew he was the only person who could save her.

He forced back his own pain and reached out to Kari, hoping Dragomon wouldn't take her before he could help. TK didn't know what he was going to do but he knew that if he could hold her then he could somehow help her. He knelt over Kari and placed both his hand on top of hers, clutching her head. She moved so that she was also on her knees and she buried her head into TK's chest. TK closed his eyes again and placed his forehead on top of his girlfriend's head.

"Fight it," TK instructed again, although he knew that it was easier said than done. The pain was still increasing and both his and Kari's bodies were starting to completely flicker in and out of their world. TK knew he had to do something because they both could be taken into the evil realm in a matter of seconds. He hoped there was something, anything he could do.

Then it hit him. Hope. He could use the power inside of him from the Crest of Hope to force back the darkness. TK couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of it before. He started to concentrate on the light inside, willing it to flow freely like it had when he made the connection with Kari during the night. "Use your light to fight it, Kari."

TK continued to concentrate on the Light of Hope in his body, doing his best to ignore the agony the darkness was causing his senses. He could feel the Power of Hope beginning to build in his body again, just like it had when he and Kari created a porthole so he could rescue her from the Dark World. The energy started spreading through his body like a wildfire, fuelled by his need to protect the one he loved. The blonde teen could feel it pushing back the dark powers that were attacking him, easing his pain and giving him even more hope.

He opened his eyes and could see his body was starting to glow with the golden light created by the Crest of Hope. Now all he needed to do was to find a way to help Kari with it. TK realised his sixth sense was no longer blinded by the darkness and that he was beginning to feel Kari's light again. He decided to try and make the same connection the two had created when they made the gateway between Earth and the Dark World. He used his extra sense to reach out to Kari's light and they quickly formed a connection.

"The Crest of Hope," Gabumon said in amazement as he and the other Digimon took a step back. They knew that any interference from them could result in something going wrong and them losing their friends to the darkness. Gabumon could see the pain easing from the expression on TK's face and he guessed that the teen boy had managed to create a successful defence against the darkness.

Yuuko stood next to the phone with the receiver in her trembling hands. The golden light had erupted from TK's body just as she was about to enter Tai's number into the keypad. Seeing the light had rooted her to the spot and caused her whole body to start shaking. She just stood there with her eyes wide open, wondering what was going on.

TK felt his hope bonding with Kari's light, helping her to fend off the darkness. He watched as his golden energy started to spread from his hands and into his girlfriend's body. She began to glow with the pink tinted light associated with her crest. TK could hear her pained breathing slowly easing.

Kari sensed TK's hope entwining with her light, fuelling it and allowing her to fight back against the attack from the Dark World. She felt TK's light filling her body and easing her pain. The brunette teen knew she also had to help him fight back against the darkness and concentrated on her own light. She slid her hands out from under TK's, placing them on his head as he placed his hands back over her temples. Kari forced back the pain and opened her teary eyes so she could stare into her boyfriend's sapphire orbs.

She willed the power from the Crest of Light into his body, hoping it would help him in the same way he was helping her. Kari could feel her light becoming more powerful as it entered TK's body, further binding the two of them together. The light emanating from both of their bodies started to lose the golden and pink tints to it and became a brilliant bright white as the power from the Crests of Light and Hope fully combined.

"There's too much power coming from them," Patamon said as he felt the light created by TK and Kari entering his body. He started to fly around the room as quickly as he could in an attempt to burn off the energy. He knew that if he didn't then he would end up digivolving while inside the Kamiya apartment.

"I think I'm going to digivolve," Gatomon added in a panicked tone as she started spiriting around the apartment. "I've never felt a power like this before. It's even greater than when we fought Machinedramon. It's even more powerful than the light from them both earlier."

"I can feel it too," Agumon stared at his claws as he spoke, wondering how the energy was getting into him too.

"Me too," Gabumon added before he set off on a sprint around the apartment. Agumon quickly followed him as both of them tried to burn off the light energy in their bodies.

"What the hell is happening?" Yuuko yelled in a shaky voice. She was still standing with the phone in her hand and she had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Kari could feel the darkness being pushed back by the combined power of her and TK's crests. She could feel the pain easing, leaving her with a bad headache and the soreness from Metalseadramon's earlier assault. The two teens felt linked and were working in tandem. They gave the darkness one last push with their light and Kari could feel that it was gone for the moment.

TK felt the attack ending and breathed out a long sigh of relief. Both he and Kari kept their light glowing for a few more seconds just to make sure the darkness was completely gone. When TK felt he and Kari were safe, he slowly let the Crest of Hope return to its usual slumbering state inside him. He could feel the light inside Kari doing the same thing. As the blonde teen concentrated on his girlfriend, he noticed he could feel what she was feeling and that he could almost sense what she was thinking. TK wondered if he and Kari had entwined more than just the power of their crests. It felt like their minds and hearts had bonded too and he could sense her thinking the same thing.

The energy inside the two teens continued to fade as they let their crests return to their dormant states. They could feel the tiredness starting to takeover and realised just how much the events of the last few hours had taken out of them. TK let himself fall backwards onto the floor, pulling Kari down on top of him. They lay there on the living area floor breathing heavily, trying to get some oxygen and normal energy back into their bodies.

Kari was the first to move after a minute or so. She wrapped both her arms behind TK's neck and pulled herself so that her face was level with her boyfriend's. They lay there, staring into each other's eyes to convey how they were feeling in a way that words couldn't. Their eyes showed a mixture of love, relief and gratitude towards one another.

TK smiled at Kari as he wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks. She returned the smile and moved her head closer to her boyfriend's. He placed his left arm around her back and used his right hand to cup her tear stained cheek. Kari couldn't wait any longer. She quickly closed her eyes and opened her lips before pushing them against TK's. The blonde boy passionately returning the kiss, expressing the gratitude, relief and love that both he and Kari were feeling for one another at that moment.

Yuuko stared at them in a state of shock. She remained standing by the phone with the receiver still in her hands. Her mind couldn't comprehend what her eyes had seen. Her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend had been attacked by something. Then they had started glowing with some magical light. Then the Digimon had gone berserk, darting around the apartment saying things about there being too much power. Her mind was struggling to understand all of it.

The brunette woman continued to survey the living area of her apartment, watching Kari passionately kiss TK like he had just saved her life. Given everything that Yuuko had just seen, she guessed that TK probably did save her daughter from what ever it was. Her gaze then locked on to the Digimon, who were all now lying on the floor and breathing heavily.

She had no idea what had truly happened and summed it all up in one way. "What on Earth just happened?"

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I think I'm going to leave this chapter here. I was going to add another scene to it but I felt that this chapter would end up way too long if I did that. So I'll start the next chapter with it instead. It's a scene with Tai and Matt in if you're wondering what it is going to be about.

Anyway, what did you think to this chapter? Was it good or bad? Is anything getting repetitive? Please let me know by leaving a review =D


	6. Safer Together

**Chapter 6: Safer Together**

Hi everyone. Thanks for the wonderful reviews of the previous chapter. They helped me get over the writer's block that I kept getting while writing this chapter. A writer's block that wasn't helped by the food poisoning I got last month and the chest infection I've had this week. So I'm really grateful for your support as it helped me get this chapter finished.

As always, I now have to give you a disclaimer. I don't own Digimon or anything else that is copyrighted in this chapter. Yet another disclaimer that states the obvious. There must be millions of them out there.

I don't know what most of you know about the Japanese education system so I'm going to add this author's note about it. The academic year in Japan starts in April unlike in Britain or America where it begins in early September or late August. I thought I had better point that out so you understand why Tai had recently started university even though the summer break is still coming up.

And now it is finally time for Tai and Matt to appear and for me to fill in some of the things that have happened between this story and the end of Better the Devil You Know.

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_17th November 2012 note: I wasn't happy with this chapter when I posted it, as you will read in my author's notes at the end. So I've gone back and partially rewritten some of it. Hopefully it is a little better than it was. I've added another note at the end of this chapter about the changes that have been made._

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Taichi Kamiya ran his hand through his trademark wild bushy brown hair that hadn't really changed in style since he was a little kid. He and Yamato had done their best to try and explain to their parents about Kari and TK's special abilities that come from their crests. However, neither of them really understood it and the light inside both of their younger siblings was a topic rarely discussed by any of the Digidestined. Taichi, or Tai as everyone called him, had noticed his younger sister and her boyfriend were always uncomfortable talking about it or unable to really explain the Powers of Light and Hope inside them. Everybody chose not to ask questions as a result. Right now Tai was wishing he had done.

Tai sighed as he straightened his cobalt blue short sleeved shirt and black shorts. He glanced over at the clock and noticed it was nearly two in the afternoon. At this time he would normally be in lectures at the University of Tokyo where he was studying law and politics. He never really cared too much about what he was going to do with his life until his last year in senior high school when he decided that he would try to become a diplomat with the view to try and help Digimon become accepted on Earth. Tai had managed to get the grades required to get on the course at one of Japan's most prestigious universities and he had started attending lectures back in April.

The brunette teen thought that rushing out of his lecture that morning wouldn't have been the best thing considering he had only started two months ago. However, he said there was a family emergency and his teacher had let him go. He rang Yamato, or Matt for short, and told him what had happened straight after he had left the lecture hall. Both Tai and Matt quickly met up, which was rather easy considering they were studying at the same university, and rushed across Tokyo to the Odaiba area that they call home. On their way home they had let the other Digidestined know what was going on and organised a meeting for later that day. However, Tai's thoughts about that meeting would have to wait because his and Matt's parents were sitting in the Kamiya apartment, waiting for some answers right now.

Tai's eyes left the clock and fixed on Matt. His golden blonde hair was styled like always because, after all, he was already a successful and rich rock star. In fact Matt was a very successful rock star who had decided to take a break from his music career to study astrophysics at the same university as Tai. He had become bored of all the travelling and concerts and decided, for reasons that Tai still didn't quite understand, to try and become an astronaut.

Tai continued to gaze at his best friend to work out what he was thinking. Matt's face showed that he was clearly concerned about TK. Tai could also see his friend was as uncomfortable as he was when it came to them trying to give their parents some answers. The blonde teen kept anxiously tugging at his white shirt and playing with something in the pocket of his dark blue jeans. At least Tai knew that he wasn't alone in this situation. Agumon and Gabumon, who were sitting on the floor by his and Matt's feet, had tried to explain it but had struggled too.

His gaze moved on to his parents who were sitting next to each other on chairs from the dining table, which they had placed next to the sofa opposite Tai and Matt. His parents, Yuuko and Susumu, were sitting with their arms around one another's backs. His father was comforting his mother, who was clearly shaken by all that she had seen earlier that morning. Tai thought that she was holding up quite well considering she had seen Kari and TK being attacked by an invisible unknown evil energy and had to deal with it herself.

Sitting on the other sofa were Matt and TK's parents, Nancy Takaishi and Hiroaki Ishida. They were sitting next to each other with Hiroaki trying to make Nancy feel better. Despite the apparent closeness of the two at that moment, Tai could still sense some underlying awkwardness between them. He could understand it. After all, they were divorced and had always seemed unsettled when they were around one another. Tai guessed it only added to the stress of the situation for them and Matt.

Tai glanced back at the clock and sighed once more. He was going to have to wake up Kari and TK to be able to give his and Matt's parents the answers they wanted. The Chosen of Light and Hope were probably the only ones who could really explain what was going on, maybe with the exception of Ken. They had been sleeping for the last five or more hours after the attack and Tai decided that would have to be enough for them. They could always go back to sleep after the discussion was over.

"I'll go and wake up Kari and TK," Tai announced as he stood up. "They'll be able to explain this better than Matt and I can. Then we can decide how we are going to sort this out. Besides, I want a few answers on things too."

After receiving nods of agreement from everyone else in the room, Tai left the living area and made his way down the short corridor to Kari's bedroom. The door was open so they could hear if anything were to happen to the two teens. Tai glanced inside and smiled for what he assumed was the first time that day. Kari and TK were peacefully sleeping in Kari's bed, with their clothes on of course, while Gatomon and Patamon rested side by side at the foot of the bed.

He stood there for a few moments, watching them resting peacefully after their ordeal during the night. Tai wondered how things could change so quickly for TK and Kari. In fact he wondered how or why things always changed quickly for all the Digidestined. Just a week ago they were all happy and celebrating TK's sixteenth birthday. It was a month and a half ago that everyone was happily celebrating Kari's sixteenth too. Everyone thought that the problems with evil Digimon were over and behind them because it had been three years since there had been any sign of trouble. The Digital World had been a picture of tranquillity since the defeat of Neodevimon but now, with the blink of an eye, everything was under threat again. The Powers of Darkness just never gave up and Kari and TK were at the centre of it all once more.

Tai stepped into Kari's room and made his way over to the younger teens. His deep brown eyes remained fixed on them, watching their soft breathing. TK was lying on his back with his left arm wrapped around Kari's shoulders. His left hand was resting on her shoulder while his right hand was resting on the side of her hip, keeping Kari close to him. Kari was lying on her side with her right arm under TK's neck and her left hand resting on his chest. The brunette girl's head was resting on her arm in a way that allowed her to place her nose against her boyfriend's neck and her forehead against his cheek. Her left leg was also resting over TK's hips. It looked like they had both been holding each other rather tightly before they had fallen asleep.

Gatomon and Patamon were curled up around each other and sleeping by their partners' feet. Tai didn't believe Digimon could become couples until he found out about Gatomon and Patamon. He thought for a moment about whether Agumon would end up in a relationship one day. He decided that it would be best to think about that if it ever happened and returned his gaze to his younger sister and her boyfriend.

Seeing Kari and TK sleeping like that started to bring back a lot of memories. Some of them were good and some of them were awful, including one that will be forever etched into his mind. Tai found himself staring at the scar that ran down the left side of TK's face as images from the aftermath of the battle with Neodevimon flashed through his mind. The image of Kari covered in blood as she stood staring into the operating theatre that TK was in was one horror he could never ever forget.

Tai remembered watching the doctors working as hard and as fast as they could to save TK's life. He recalled that Kari had forced them to use her blood to replace the crimson fluid that her boyfriend had lost, which actually saved TK from dying of blood loss. Tai saw that as Kari returning the favour, saving TK's life after he saved her from Neodevimon. Both of them were complete messes and the memory of that day still made Tai feel sick to the bottom of his stomach.

The young man forced the morbid images to the back of his mind as he continued to gaze at the younger teens in front of him. The position Kari and TK were lying in was pretty much the same as the one they often lay in while they rested on the sofa. They had started lying that way while they were recovering from the injuries they received from Neodevimon's attack. It was the only way for the two teens to lie together comfortably with the injuries they had.

The attack from Neodevimon had partially severed TK's left arm, slashed open his chest and left him with a gash down the left side of his face. It later turned out that Kari had not managed to escape without injuries too. The impact of TK tackling her to the ground to save her from Neodevimon, while they were running towards each other as fast as they could, had injured her and further hurt TK. The blonde teen had hit his head on Kari's hip, which resulted in him fracturing both his skull and her pelvis while simultaneously knocking himself out. Kari had also hit her head hard on the ground, resulting in a concussion and a rather large gash that had to be stapled shut. Tai was still amazed to this day at how Kari had somehow managed to carry an unconscious TK while she was as badly injured as she was.

The recovery for TK and Kari took quite a while and they both missed a few months of school. The doctors had managed to fix them and left it to time to heal most of their wounds. TK's left arm had required multiple surgeries to fix but in the end he regained full use of the limb. Everyone knew just how lucky TK was not only to have kept his arm but to have fully recovered after almost losing it.

Tai remembered coming home from school during the first couple of months of their recoveries and catching them sleeping just like they were at that moment. TK and Kari spent most of their recoveries together because Tai and Kari's mother had offered to look after TK during the day while TK's mother was at work. Gatomon and Patamon stayed on Earth with their human partners too, helping them to recover in anyway they could.

Kari and TK went back to school after a couple of months but it was over a year before TK had fully recovered. During that time both he and Kari had to work hard to catch up with the school work they had missed. In the end their efforts paid off as they still managed to get decent grades. TK then turned his focus to getting back his fitness levels when the doctors told him he could play basketball again. Kari offered to help him and they both started doing fitness training each week, which included Kari learning to play basketball. However, Tai knew there was more to Kari helping TK than just helping him to regain his fitness and her spending time with him. Tai knew Kari felt that if she was faster then she could have escaped Neodevimon without her or TK being hurt.

TK managed to get back into the school's basketball team once he had recovered. However, he and Kari didn't stop their training regime. They continued training and, as far as Tai was aware, they still went running together at least twice a week. The teens continuing their regime was what told Tai that they both felt that they needed to be fit so they could avoid similar incidents to the one with Neodevimon.

Tai's eyes fixed on to the scar on the left side of TK's face again. It was physical evidence to remind people of TK's willingness to protect Kari as well as his love for her. Tai knew his younger sister's boyfriend was prepared to give his life to save her and he guessed TK must have saved her at least twice over the last twelve hours. It always gave Tai a sense of relief knowing that Kari couldn't have a better boyfriend.

The young brunette man sighed once more. He placed his right hand on Kari's shoulder and gave her a gentle shake. "Kari, it's time for you to wake up."

Kari groaned as Tai shook her shoulder again. She yawned before her auburn eyes opened groggily. Being careful not to wake her sleeping boyfriend, Kari gently rolled on to her back while using her left hand to rub her tired eyes. Tai watched as her gaze fixed on to his and a smile crept across her face. "Hey Tai."

"Hi Kari," Tai returned his sisters smile as he removed his hand from her shoulder. "You and TK need to get up. Both TK's mother and father are here, along with Matt. Dad has also come home from work after Mom told him about what happened earlier."

Kari took a deep breath before she pursed her lips. "How's Mom dealing with it?"

Tai couldn't help but notice the concern in his younger sister's voice as she spoke. He guessed she and TK must have fallen asleep almost straightaway after the attack from the darkness. That meant they wouldn't have been able to find out how Yuuko had handled watching the attack.

"She's dealing with it rather well all things considered," Tai replied as he ran his right hand through his wild brown hair. "Obviously she is shaken up by everything she saw you two go through, but Dad and I have managed to calm her down. Now she just wants to know what is going on. In fact we all do and that's why I've come to wake up you and TK."

Kari sighed as she paused for a moment to think over something. Tai guessed she would probably be contemplating how she would explain everything to him, Matt, her parents and TK's parents. She glanced at her sleeping boyfriend before returning her gaze to her brother. "I guess I had better wake up TK."

Tai nodded and watched as Kari carefully shifted her body, gently sliding her right arm out from under TK's neck. She then placed both her knees either side of TK's hips before lowering herself down so her face was level with her boyfriend's. Tai shifted somewhat uncomfortably as Kari placed her arms on TK's chest and cupped both his cheeks in her hands. The older Kamiya sibling didn't particularly want Kari to kiss TK in this manner. He made a mental note to reprimand them later for kissing like this in front of someone, particularly him.

He continued to gaze at the younger teens as TK's arms started to move. Tai guessed the blonde boy had been woken by Kari's movements but had chosen not to open his cobalt blue eyes. TK rested his right hand on the back of Kari's head and carefully placed his left arm across her back. Kari moved her lips towards his. She closed her eyes before the couple opened their mouths in anticipation of the kiss.

Their lips passionately met as they pushed forwards before pulling back slightly. Tai patiently waited as Kari and TK opened their mouths a little wider and pushed forwards for more. The lovers continued with their kiss, adding more passion with each movement of their perfectly synchronised lips.

Tai knew the lovers were sexually active after he overheard them one evening when he had come home early from his football practice. Part of Tai wanted to beat the life out of TK for having sex with Kari but in the end he didn't interfere with what was going on behind the closed door of Kari's bedroom. He wanted Kari and TK to be together and he knew exactly what that entailed. Sooner or later they would have become lovers and Tai knew it.

If it was any other guy in there with Kari then Tai would have killed him without hesitation. However, he knew that he could never bring himself to hurt TK. There were several reasons why he couldn't touch the younger boy. Tai already felt that the blonde teen was part of his family and he was all but officially his brother-in-law. He also had a soft spot for TK ever since their first adventure in the Digital World when he started looking after him. He cared a lot about the blonde boy and would be one of the first people to back him up in a fight. Besides, TK would give his life to save Kari, as he had proved in the past, and beating up his younger sister's protector and saviour would be rather stupid and ungrateful.

So that meant he chose not to say anything directly to Kari or TK after he found out. Tai knew it would have probably caused problems if he directly confronted them about it because they wouldn't understand his concerns. Besides, it would have been rather hypocritical of him considering they had accidently walked in on him and his now ex-girlfriend almost a year before. So instead Tai left the apartment and headed straight for Matt's.

Tai told Matt what had happened and persuaded him to let TK know that he now knew about the development in the relationship. Tai had also made Matt give them a box of condoms to make sure they were having safe sex. All that had led to a rather uncomfortable conversation between himself, Kari and TK during which they thanked him for his understanding and also reassured him that they were being safe because they definitely weren't ready for a child.

Tai guessed that knowledge about the couple in front of him was the main reason he was so uncomfortable watching Kari kissing TK in the position they were in. At least they both were fully clothed.

The kiss between TK and Kari continued for over a minute before the couple finally broke the contact between their lips. They were breathing heavily as they opened their eyes and stared lovingly at one another. Tai continued to watch them as he patiently waited for the two teens to shift.

"You know, I could get use to being woken like this," TK smirked as he started gently stroking Kari's silky brown hair with his right hand. "It's better than any alarm clock."

Kari laughed and smiled back. "Well one day you might be lucky enough to have me wake you like this every morning."

Tai rolled his eyes and shook his head at the whole corny fluffy nature of the scene before him. He didn't know if being at university for a few months had made him forget about how clichéd Kari and TK usually were or if they had gotten worse since he left. They really were the most clichéd couple he knew. They spent as much time together as they could and were madly in love with each other. Tai even noticed that Kari and TK rarely argued. Sure they had a few minor disagreements, but they would sort it out within seconds usually with a quick exchange of facial expressions. In fact Tai thought that if they were to ever have a proper argument then they would have fixed things between them within an hour of it. The brunette teen pursed his lips. He knew they were perfect for each other, but that is what made them an abnormally clichéd couple.

"Come on, we have to get up," Kari said in a serious tone, bringing Tai out of his thoughts about the couple in front of him.

TK let out an annoyed groan at the idea of having to get out of bed. "Hit the snooze button one more time please."

"Are you mocking me, Mr. Takaishi?" Kari scoffed as she moved so she was on her knees and straddling TK. She then playfully poked him on his nose and giggled.

TK laughed and gently swatted her hand away before she could do it again. "I would never dream of such a thing, Mrs. Going-To-Be-Takaishi-One-Day."

Tai let out a low cough to catch the two love birds' attention. This was getting way too corny for his liking and it was starting to make him feel sick. Kari and TK turned their heads and gazed in his direction. Kari offered her brother an apologetic look as TK smiled welcomingly.

"Hi Tai," TK said warmly as he propped himself up on his elbows. "I didn't know you were here. How are you?"

"Yeah, I noticed that you didn't realise I was standing here," Tai chuckled and shook his head again. Then his expression changed to a serious one. "As for how I'm feeling right now, I'm rather concerned about what has been going on. Our parents and Matt are waiting for you so we can have an explanation for what happened this morning."

Both Kari's and TK's expressions became serious. They quickly glanced at each other and had a wordless exchange of feelings on the matter. Both of the teens sighed and pursed their lips before returning their attention to Tai. The older Kamiya sibling noted that the two younger Digidestined appeared to be just as uncomfortable as he was when it came to discussing the Dark Ocean and the Powers of Light and Darkness.

"Ok Tai. We'll try our best to explain what is going on," Kari took a deep breath before she and TK climbed out of bed. They straightened their clothes before waking Gatomon and Patamon. Once the Digimon were fully awake, the group followed Tai into the living area of the apartment where they greeted their parents.

Tai retook his seat next to Matt on the sofa and watched Kari and TK opt to share the recliner chair that sat at the head of the coffee table. TK sat down first before allowing Kari to sit on his lap. Kari wrapped both her arms around the back of her boyfriend's neck before bring her knees up to her chest. TK slid his left arm around Kari's back and placed his right arm in front of her to make sure she didn't slide off his lap. It was almost as if TK was protecting Kari.

Tai could tell that they were really frightened and nervous because he could see it in their eyes. He guessed it was from a combination of what had happened earlier and what the outcome of this conversation might be. They probably had a plan that could be rejected by their parents. Tai knew the tension that hung in the air wasn't helping them relax either, meaning it definitely wasn't helping matters. Both the younger teens shifted uncomfortably as the eyes of the room fixed on them, waiting for answers.

Once the humans had sat down, Patamon and Gatomon took their seats. Patamon landed on the head rest of the chair and perched next to TK's blonde head. Gatomon decided to sit on the chair arm and used Kari's side as a back rest. They look like they didn't want this conversation to happen either.

"How are you?" Nancy cautiously asked TK and Kari as she ran her hand through her shoulder length blonde hair. Her concern for her son and Kari was clear in her eyes.

"Honestly, Mom?" TK replied as he met his mother's gaze. He paused for a moment but continued when Nancy nodded. The blonde boy gulped nervously and Tai realised that TK had been contemplating giving one of those "everything is fine now" replies.

TK's tone showed his tiredness as he continued. "I have a rather bad headache and my whole body feels sore. The headache is the result of the attack from the darkness and my body aches because we were launched several metres through the air by a Digimon."

"I feel the same way too," Kari added, ignoring the worried gasps of the rooms other occupants. She tightened her embrace with TK even further before going on. "And honestly, I'm really frightened about what might happen to me and TK if we aren't around one another to use our light to keep each other safe. What happened earlier was too close for comfort. We were literally fighting for our lives."

Tai noticed the atmosphere of the room become even tenser, if it was at all possible. What Kari and TK had just said confirmed the worse fears of their parents. The room fell silent as everyone thought over the predicament for a few seconds.

"Can you tell us exactly what is going on?" Hiroaki eventually broke the silence. His voice was calm and collected. He was the one parent out of all of the Digidestineds' parents that always managed to remain in control of his emotions when there was trouble. That usually meant he was the preferred choice for Digidestined to go to when they needed help from a parent.

"And can you please explain the light your mother saw coming from you, Kari?" Susumu asked as his embrace of Yuuko tightened slightly.

Kari and TK shifted nervously again and they both took in a deep breath. TK was the one who decided to reply. "Kari and I have been having nightmares about the Dark World for the past few nights. If you start having these nightmares it usually means that the creatures which live in the Dark Ocean are trying to pull you into their realm."

"And they aren't normal nightmares either," Patamon added in a serious manner. "The darkness attacks the light inside both TK and Kari while they are sleeping because Dragomon, the Digimon who we think is controlling the darkness, believes they are weaker while they are asleep."

"But the attacks don't always come when they are sleeping," Gatomon took over from her boyfriend. "The attacks can come while they are awake too. The whole idea is to weaken Kari and TK to the extent that the power from their crests cannot stop the darkness from abducting them. That's what happened earlier when Kari was pulled into the Dark World. TK, Patamon and I had to go and rescue her. We managed to rescue her because Kari and TK combined the power of their crests to create a gateway between Earth and the Dark World."

"I don't understand," Nancy furrowed her eyebrows as a puzzled expression formed on her face. "Why are they attacking you?"

Kari sighed and took a moment to think about her reply. "Dragomon wants me to be his bride. He wants to use my light to help him control the Dark World as well as take over other worlds. As for why he wants TK dead, it is simple really. Dragomon knows TK can protect me and keep me safe. Dragomon also blames TK for …"

Kari trailed off because she was uncertain as to how she should explain the other reason why Dragomon wanted TK dead. Everyone's gaze was on her, waiting for an answer. She quickly glanced at TK, her eyes asking him for help.

TK pursed his lips before taking over from Kari. "The other reason is because three years ago Patamon and I stopped Neodevimon from giving Kari to Dragomon. It caused an instant power shift in the Dark World. Dragomon and Daemon have apparently gone to war over who was to blame for it and that war has continued to rage for the past three years. From what we have seen and been told, it appears that Dragomon is losing and he's becoming rather desperate, hence why he is trying so hard to capture Kari."

Silence filled the room as memories of the events from three years ago flooded back into the minds of Tai, Matt and their parents. It was something else to confirm their worst fears about the situation. They all knew TK and Kari were willing to give their lives to save each other and now they were seriously worried that the two teens were in a position where they could nearly die again.

Both Kari and TK could feel the concern radiating off the others in the room and Kari chose to quickly move on. "As for what the light is. It is kind of hard to describe. It is also a rather intimate and personal for both me and TK."

"It comes from our crests," TK continued on from where Kari left off. "Usually the powers of the crests come from what is inside of the Digidestined who the crest belongs to. However, things are somewhat different for Kari and me because the Crest of Hope, which is my crest, and the Crest of Light, which is Kari's, are different from the others. That basically means we act as carriers of light, so to say. It is also rather intimate because we need one another to help our crests reach their full potential and it is an extra bond between us. A bond that is hard to explain and can really only be shared between us."

"Basically they have the ability to call on their powers when they are in rather dire situations," Gatomon took over. "Like earlier, they were able to use the power of their crests to fight off the darkness because a loved one was in trouble."

"It also gives them the ability to sense the Powers of Light and Darkness," Patamon added. "It is kind of a sixth sense that Digimon have."

The silence returned to the room as everyone thought over what they had just been told. Tai's mind was working overtime, trying to formulate a plan to protect his little sister and TK. The only thing he could come up with was to have them stay together constantly so they could use the energy from their crests to protect one another. Tai wondered if Kari and TK had come up with the same idea as him.

"So how do we stop this darkness from attacking you?" Hiroaki finally broke the silence.

"TK and I must stay together twenty four hours a day, seven days a week until it is over," Kari stated very nervously. Her fear of the possibility that her idea might be rejected was obvious in her voice. "That way we can protect each other if the darkness tries to attack. It can easily capture us when we are on our own. If we aren't together then there is a good chance that we will be dead by the end of the week."

Tai watched the parents shift uncomfortably at Kari's suggestion. He turned to Matt to try and gauge what he was thinking about the situation. Tai could see the serious concern in his friend's eyes as he thought over everything. Matt's gaze met Tai's as he pursed his lips and nodded. Tai knew the blonde boy well enough to know that his reply meant he agreed with Kari. The wild haired brunette nodded back to let Matt he also agreed with his sister's idea and that they were both going to have to help their younger siblings' attempt to gain their parents' support.

"I'm not so sure this is a good idea," Nancy spoke reluctantly. Her face expression showed she didn't approve of the suggestion. "That means you'll be sleeping together amongst other things. That in turn will lead to other things and Kari could end up pregnant."

Tai noticed Kari and TK tense up and grip one another even tighter as Kari's suggestion was rejected by Nancy. He could see the fear and panic in their eyes increase even more. Their reaction was enough to tell Tai just how bad the situation actually was and he knew he had to help them. Whatever had happened in the Dark World had really frightened them.

"They don't have a choice," Matt interjected, beating Tai to it. His tone was stern and deadly serious. "Dragomon has a much greater chance of abducting them when they are alone because, from how I understand it, they need one another to fully utilise the power of their crests. That means they must be together all the time to make sure they can protect each other."

"And you don't really have to worry about them having sex," Tai took over from Matt in a somewhat reluctant manner. Trust him to end up with the really difficult subject. "We are talking about Kari and TK here. They are both trustworthy and sensible and will use contraceptives to make sure they don't end up having a child. They won't do anything irresponsible. It's just not like them."

Nancy sighed and pursed her lips as she thought for a moment. She glanced over at Matt and Tai. "The risk that they will start having sex is still there, meaning an accident can happen."

Kari buried her face into TK's chest as their faces turned bright red with embarrassment. This was the most awkward moment ever for both of them and it really only made things worse. Tai guessed that the couple had hoped the conversation wouldn't turn to their love life but it was inevitable. Another seriously uncomfortable silence filled the room as no one knew what to say.

Tai sighed once more. He couldn't believe that he was actually going to say the words that were about to leave his mouth but he had to do something to make sure his parents understood that Kari and TK would keep things safe. After all, their lives were at stake and Tai had to do something to force their parents to accept their plan. He hoped the couple would forgive him for telling their parents about this. "Kari would probably already be pregnant if they weren't being safe."

Tai saw all the parents tense up as they understood the implication of what he had just said. He glanced around the room, taking in everyone's reactions. Matt's expression was asking him why the hell he had said that. TK was staring nervously at Kari, who still had her face buried in his chest. Nervousness, embarrassment and fear literally radiated from TK. He looked liked someone who knew they were going to be in a lot of trouble.

Hiroaki had retained his composure and his expression suggested he was carefully thinking over the whole situation. Nancy appeared angry. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she was glaring at TK. Clearly she was unhappy that her son was sexually active. Tai's eyes moved on to his mother. Her reaction was different and suggested that she either already knew or was expecting to find out sooner or later. Yuuko's eyes still retained her concerns about the whole situation. She seemed more worried about the events from earlier in the day than the revelation about her daughter's love life. For once she appeared to understand the magnitude of the situation and the actual danger Kari and TK were in.

Susumu's reaction was the one that worried Tai the most. His father had clenched his fists and was glaring at TK. Anger radiated from him. He was gritting his teeth as he tried to control his rage. Tai got ready to stop him from doing anything to TK. Given the current situation, it would be stupid for anyone to hurt TK because he was the only person who could protect Kari. Injuring TK would only make Dragomon's task a lot easier.

"TK, have you had sex with my daughter?" Susumu's asked slowly through his gritted teeth. He appeared to be trying to calm himself down.

Everyone's gaze fell on TK. Tai hadn't seen the blonde teen so scared in a long time. He guessed that TK knew there was a real possibility that he could lose Kari as a result of the outcome of this conversation. Whether it was because their parents could split them up or Dragomon capturing her, it was blatantly obvious that losing Kari was the one thing that TK feared the most. He feared it even more than he feared any Digimon.

"Yes," TK finally replied with a single nod of his head. His voice and body language suggested he had resigned himself to accept the barrage of anger that was probably coming his way.

Hiroaki took a deep breath. He was going to be the voice of reason amongst the parents once again. "That is normal behaviour for two teenagers who are in love with one another and we were going to find out sooner or later. It is probably for the best that they admitted it. Although, personally I would have preferred to have found out under better circumstances."

Susumu continued to glare at TK. He took a deep breath and clenched his fists even tighter. "I would be killing you right now if you hadn't saved my daughter's life."

Kari caught the room's attention by moving her left arm out from behind TK's neck. She full opened her hand and put it into the air. She kept her head buried in between her knees and TK's chest. Her other hand was gripping TK's shirt as tightly as possible.

"He has saved me five times in the last twenty four hours," Kari mumbled into TK's chest. Tai could hear the pleading tone of her voice despite it being muffled. She was begging their father to understand. "So please don't hurt TK. I love him and we need each other. We'll literally die if we don't have one another."

"Personally I don't want a repeat of three years ago," Yuuko spoke up in a worried voice. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. "I don't want to find out that Kari or TK have been taken to hospital again after another evil Digimon has attacked them. If everything I saw earlier was anything to go by then it could quite easily happen again."

Nancy noted the words of the other parents as she stared at the scar down the left side of her son's face. She started carefully weighing up the options. "I don't want a repeat of the horrors from three years ago either. So if the only way to keep TK and Kari safe is to keep them together at all times then I guess that is what we will have to do. I don't want this Dragomon to hurt either of you. Just promise us that you will keep each other safe."

"We will," TK and Kari replied in unison as everyone focused on Susumu. Kari's earlier pleading appeared to have softened his expression. After all, her safety came first.

"I don't like the idea of you two sleeping together but there appears to be very few alternatives. As Nancy said, accidents can still occur, but I know you will remain by Kari's side no matter what happens, TK. I don't think she could have a better boyfriend," Susumu sighed and relaxed slightly. He rubbed his forehead and thought for a moment. "You can go ahead with you plan."

"Thanks," Kari and TK replied in unison once more. The couple sighed loudly and they visibly relaxed into the chair. A large percentage of their fear clearly evaporated away from their body language. At least they now had a chance of protecting each other from the evil in the Dark World.

"Just out of interest, is there anyone else who might need protecting from this Dragomon?" Hiroaki asked with concern lacing is tone.

TK and Kari glanced at one another and their worried expressions returned. Tai watched as Kari's eyes fell on him before she answered the question. "I think all of the Digidestined should have their Digimon with them in case anything happens because Metalseadramon is working with Dragomon and he wants revenge on us all."

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If I'm being honest, I'm not really happy with how this chapter turned out. Like I said in my notes at the beginning, I had writer's block several times while writing this chapter and I think it shows. It is also a lot longer than I thought it would be. Then again, it did introduce Tai and Matt, cover some of the events between this story and Better the Devil You Know and move the plot forward a bit. Oh I don't know … Please leave a review and let me know what you think because I need to know if this is a good chapter or if I should go back and rewrite it.

By the way, all of the Digidestined will appear in the next chapter. I thought I'd let you know =D

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_17th November 2012 note: As I have said in my other note at the start, I have rewritten parts of this chapter. The main changes I've made include more about why Tai didn't kill TK when he found out about him and Kari, the way TK and Kari act during the conversation with their parents, the way Susumu reacts is more in character now, I changed some of the dialogue in the conversation too and I've added more detail to their parents reactions. I think that is about all I've changed. The outcome of this chapter is still the same as in the original version. Hopefully it is a lot better than before and please do let me know what you think to this chapter by leaving a review or sending a private message =D_


	7. Plans

**Chapter 7: Plans**

Hi everyone. Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter. I can't believe this fic already has over fifty reviews! You guys are awesome. Thanks a lot =D

Speaking of the last chapter, I decided in the end to go back and rewrite some parts of it. The outcome is still the same and nothing too major has changed so you don't have to go back and read it again if you don't want to. I just wasn't happy with it and it wasn't until I read a few reviews on the chapter that I could put my finger on the problem. The main change is the way TK and Kari act during the conversation with their parents. I've made them more closed off and frightened during the conversation, so they are hopefully more in character now. I've also changed Susumu's reaction and some of the dialogue to better suite what I think his reaction would be. The final change isn't really a change but more of an addition. I decided to add more about why Tai likes the idea of Kari and TK being together.

Anyway, moving on to the disclaimer. I don't own anything from Digimon, Lovecraft or any other copyrighted things that I happen to mention in this story. They already know that ... whoever they are. Who are they? Answers on a postcard.

Now it is time to introduce the other Digidestined and Digimon ...

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The Digidestined and their Digimon were sat on the chairs, the sofas or on the floor of the Kamiya apartment with extremely serious and concerned expressions on their faces. They had all rushed to Tai and Kari's home after they found out the news about Kari being abducted by Dragomon and TK rescuing her. It was of the uppermost importance to them and the large majority of the group had not had their dinner yet since the meeting began at six in the evening.

The meeting had started with the Digidestined going to collect the rest of their Digimon from the Digital World. Once they were back, the group sat down and immediately began discussing the issue. Kari and TK told everyone what had happened and that they were going to have to be together constantly in order to keep one another safe from Dragomon. That meant they had told the group that TK was staying at Kari's for the night and that he had already collected his stuff.

"We knew this day would come sooner or later," Ken Ichijouji sighed as Kari and TK finished explaining the events from earlier. He ran his right hand through his indigo coloured hair. "The darkness will never give up that easily."

Ken was sat on the floor next to his DNA digivolution partner and best friend, Davis Motomiya. Davis had spiky brown hair and still wore the pair of goggles he had received from Tai at the start of the second digital adventure. The two teen boys were in TK and Kari's year at school and were often in the same classes as their friends at Odaiba Senior High. Ken had moved to the Odaiba area when he started junior high school so he could be with his friends. He was still as smart as ever and the media were still coming to him for occasional interviews. Ken was also a top football player and regularly played alongside Davis for the youth team of FC Tokyo, one of the big clubs in Japan.

Wormmon and Veemon were sat by their partners' feet. Wormmon, Ken's Digimon partner, was a green caterpillar like Digimon with a dark purple mouth and violet coloured feet. Davis' Digimon, Veemon, was a blue humanoid dragon that had a yellow V on his forehead, a white stomach and a white mouth. He walked upright on his two legs, using his long blue tail for balance.

"Neodevimon did tell TK that Dragomon hadn't given up on trying to capture Kari during the battles three years ago. So we should have been expecting it," Yolei, a seventeen year old girl with sleek rectangular glasses and long purple hair that reached the base of her back, added to Ken's statement. Hawkmon, a red and white bird Digimon, sat by Yolei's feet.

Yolei was also sat next to Ken. The fingers of her right hand were entwined with those of Ken's left hand. She had started dating Ken, who was almost a year younger than her, three and a half years ago. It was Yolei who had to take the initiative for two reasons. The first was that Ken was rather shy and he rarely dared to ask a girl out on a date. The second was that she was the one with the major crush on him and not the other way around. Fortunately for her, Ken accepted her offer of a date and they had been a couple since.

"Can't the darkness just leave us alone?" Mimi complained. She was the one member of the group that hated fighting the most and she would often refuse to battle unless there was no choice. She had Palmon, a green plant Digimon that had a pink flower on her head, as her Digimon partner. "I hate fighting."

Mimi and her family had moved back to Japan three years ago during the summer while the battle with Neodevimon was raging on. She had lived in America for four years when her father had a job in New York. The eighteen year old girl was well known for her stunning looks and her bubbly personality, which made her one of the most popular girls in Odaiba Senior High. She had smooth, silky shoulder length brown hair that matched the caramel colour of her eyes. She could catch the attention of any man she wanted, especially when she wore clothes that hugged the curves of her hips and large breasts.

Izzy was sat next to Mimi on the sofa. He was the same age as the effervescent girl and one of her closest friends. The two had built up a close friendship over the internet while Mimi was in America and that friendship had only become stronger when Mimi returned to Japan. Izzy and Mimi were the personification of the saying opposites attract since Izzy was a computer genius and not exactly the most outgoing person in the group. In truth their personalities complemented each other well, which had led to the other Digidestined teasing the two teens about them having crushes and feelings for one another.

"By its very nature, the darkness wants to control everything. That's why it will never leave us alone," Izzy replied as he typed away on the keyboard of his laptop. It was a new and up to date version of his trusted old yellow and white laptop. Sat by the spiky red haired teen's feet was a large red bug Digimon named Tentomon, who had large green eyes and a yellow stomach.

"And none of us like fighting, Mimi," added Sora, a nineteen year old girl with auburn hair that reached the base of her neck. Biyomon, a pink bird Digimon, was sat on the floor in front of her. "But we have to fight, otherwise TK will be killed and Kari will be forced to be the bride of some twist freak of a Digimon."

Sora squeezed Matt's right hand with her left hand as she spoke. The young woman, who was studying fashion design at university, had started dating Matt when she was fourteen. She was the one who had asked him out on a date after she had made him some cookies and given them to him before one of his rock concerts. This all happened towards the end of the Digidestineds' second adventure. Their relationship was currently at the stage where they were seriously thinking about moving in together during the break between their first and second years of university.

"I guess I should begin stocking up on first aid supplies," Joe said rather pessimistically. The oldest member of the Digidestined adjusted his rectangular glasses as the rest of the group glanced over at him. "Just in case we need to charge into the Dark World on a rescue mission. We don't know what we'll find there."

"Preparing for the worst and hoping for the best," a white seal-like Digimon with purple markings added for his human partner.

"Exactly, Gomamon. I can probably get some supplies from either the university or from my father," Joe added as he thought about where he could get everything he might need.

The twenty year old was following his lifelong ambition to become a doctor. His focus and dedication to his studies allowed him to get the grades he needed to attend classes in medicine at Tokyo Imperial University. Joe was now in his second year and had gained a lot of experience from working on patients while on his student placements.

"Ken, are you having any of the problems associated with the Dark World?" Cody asked when he remembered that Ken also was plagued by the evil realm during their second adventure. The fourteen year old boy may be the youngest member of the group but he possessed one of the sharpest minds.

Cody was the only Digidestined who was still studying at Odaiba Junior High, as all the others were now either in senior high school or at university. This gave the youngest member slightly more free time than the rest of the group, which was something he made the most of by practicing his kendo or visiting Armadillomon. The said yellow Digimon with a hard shell was sat next to Cody on the floor of the Kamiya's apartment.

"I haven't had any problems since we defeated Malomyotismon five years ago," Ken replied after a moment's thought. He hated the idea of having to face those creatures in the Dark World just as much as Kari and TK did. After all, the darkness in that realm provided him with his dark D3 digivice and helped set him on the path to becoming the Digimon Emperor.

"I think we should keep an eye on you just in case something does happen," Yolei's voice showed her worry that her boyfriend could be targeted next by Dragomon or even Daemon.

"I agree," Davis nodded as he glanced over at his best friend. "They might want to take the dark spore from within you like Arukenimon and Mummymon."

"If this war is as bad as Kari and TK suggest then I think it would be correct to hypothesise that Daemon might even try to get the dark spore inside Ken again," Izzy thought aloud. He placed his right hand on his chin and entered his traditional thinking pose. "That is assuming Daemon has the same ability to pull people into the Dark World that Dragomon has."

"So what's the plan going to be, Ken? Do you want to stay with Kari and TK to make sure the three of you are safe?" Tai asked as he glanced over at the younger boy. He could tell that Ken was uncomfortable with his suggestion by the way the violet haired teen shifted. Tai then glanced over at Kari and TK and noticed that they didn't seem to like the idea that much either.

"I'm not sure that is a good idea," Ken sighed and placed his right hand on the back of his neck. He rubbed the spot where the dark spore had entered his body all those years ago. "For many different reasons."

"Such as?" Mimi asked, wanting to know what the teen genius was thinking. She guessed that there must be several very good reasons.

"Well, keeping TK, Kari and myself in the same place would make it easier for someone to capture all of us if they came looking for us in this world," Ken pointed out the strategic disadvantage of Tai's idea. "If all three of us were captured then you wouldn't be able to open a gateway into the Dark World to rescue us."

"That is a very valid point," Izzy continued to stroke his chin as he thought over his friend's words. "Although I'm not sure your theory applies if the darkness tries to take you in the same way it took Kari earlier. I believe it can still attack you anywhere. Never the less, it still would be strategically better for us to keep you separate from Kari and TK."

"But wouldn't Kari and TK be able to use their light to protect Ken if Dragomon or Daemon tried to take him?" A puzzled expression formed on Yolei's face as her gaze moved from Izzy and back to Ken.

"I don't think it is a good idea for either Kari or me to use the power from our crests on Ken," TK replied with noticeable concern in his voice. Kari nodded in agreement with her boyfriend.

"TK is right," Ken sighed and thought about how to word his reasoning. "We have no idea how the dark spore inside me might react to the energy from the Crests of Light and Hope. There is a possibility that it could stop an attack if the darkness comes after me but there is also the possibility that it could hurt or even kill me."

"How would it hurt you?" Davis asked curiously. He wasn't exactly sure how the Powers of Light and Darkness actually worked.

"The light could essentially attack the darkness inside Ken and blind his extra sense in the same way the darkness tries to do that to TK and I when it attacks," Kari answered but she noticed some puzzled expressions on her friends' faces so she continued. "The light can't hurt me and TK because we are pure light. That means only the darkness can hurt us. However, Ken has both light and darkness inside of him, which means that he can be hurt by both of them."

"And your light might destroy the spore inside me," Ken added with deepening concern. "Who knows how integrated the dark spore is with my body. There is a chance that removing it might kill me."

"Ok, that's two very good reasons for us not to go ahead with my plan," Tai furrowed his eyebrows and began thinking. "We still need to keep an eye on you just in case the darkness does attack you."

"Given that I'm his DNA digivolution partner, it make sense that I help to keep Ken safe," Davis volunteered to aid his best friend. He felt it was his duty to protect him.

"I will see what I can do too," Yolei offered as she squeezed her boyfriend's hand. "Although I'll need some help trying to explain this to my parents. I can imagine it will be difficult for them to accept that Ken could be abducted at any second."

Ken smiled his appreciation to his girlfriend and best friend for their willingness to help him. "Thanks guys. It really means a lot to me."

"So that's settled," Tai assumed his role as the leader. "Davis and Yolei will take turns to watch over Ken. Remember to let us know straightaway if something happens. Even if it is in the middle of the night."

"We will," Davis and Yolei replied instantly and in unison. Their determination to protect Ken was clear in their voices.

"What about Noriko and the other kids who were kidnapped by Arukenimon. Could they become targets too?" Cody asked. He was worried about them because they still retained some of the darkness from their dark spores even though the spores themselves had been removed by Malomyotismon. He was also good friends with a few of Noriko's group and he didn't want to see them get hurt.

"I'll let them know what is going on," Ken replied as he glanced over at Cody. "I'll suggest that they keep an eye on each other and I will also tell them to let us know the second something happens."

"Good idea," Tai nodded his agreement with Ken's plan.

"On a slightly different note," Ken continued as he decided to bring up something that his sixth sense was telling him. "Have any of you Digimon notice that TK and Kari seem to be emitting much more light energy than normal?"

"Yeah," Gatomon nodded as she glanced between Kari and TK. "They began giving off more energy this morning after they combined the power of their crests to protect one another. Patamon and I nearly had to digivolve to lose the energy they were giving off."

"What do you mean by combining their energy?" Izzy asked with his curiosity dominating his tone.

"We sort of pushed the energy from our crests into each other's body," TK paused for a moment as he and Kari shifted awkwardly. "Then our crests kind of bonded together to fight off the darkness. We bonded in some way too but it's really hard to explain. It was like I could feel everything that Kari felt and I knew what she was thinking as well. Since then I've been able to feel the power of the Crest of Hope inside me and I've also noticed the light inside Kari has been much stronger."

Some of the Digidestined gave the couple strange looks but Izzy ignored the odd expressions on his friends' faces. He understood what the implications of it meant. "Does anyone else remember what happened the last time the power from the Crests of Hope and Light entered someone's body?"

Tai's and Matt's eyes opened wide as they suddenly realised what it could mean. The rest of the original Digidestined and their Digimon also had similar expressions on their faces. The memories of the battle with Venommyotismon eight years ago flooded back into their minds.

"That was when Gabumon and Agumon first digivolved to Metalgarurumon and Wargreymon," Matt recalled the events. "An arrow of hope entered my body and an arrow of light entered Tai. The combination of our crests with TK's and Kari's crests provided enough energy for our Digimon to reach the mega level."

"Exactly," Izzy confirmed before adding more to his hypothesis. "I believe both Patamon and Gatomon are now able to reach the mega level once again. Unfortunately, we won't be able to test my theory until an opportunity arises because, as I'm sure you are all aware, Digimon cannot digivolve to the next level unless the threat to them or their Digidestined partner is great enough. So Patamon and Gatomon would have to face an opponent like Cherubimon again for them to reach the mega level once more."

Patamon's and Gatomon's faces lit up at that news. They liked the possibility of being able to reach their mega forms again and there could not have been a better time for it. They both hoped Izzy's theory was correct and that they could use their new power if Kari and TK were taken to the Dark World again. TK and Kari also seemed rather excited by the idea. The four had huge grins on their faces.

"Is there any chance we could use this new power and take the fight to Dragomon, Metalseadramon or Daemon instead of waiting for them to attack again?" Tai asked, glancing in Izzy's direction. His instinct to protect his younger sister was his main reason for asking the question. He wasn't going to let some creeps mess with her or TK.

"Not without going into the Dark World and fighting them there," Kari was the one who replied. "And I personally don't feel like going there if I have the choice. It would make it a lot easier for Dragomon to attack me and TK."

Izzy placed his hand on the back of his head and thought for a few seconds. "Kari is right. It would be too dangerous. Dragomon could capture them a lot easier in his own realm. Otherwise he wouldn't be trying to abduct Kari in the manner that he is."

"Besides, we'd need an army to fight the creatures there," Matt added as he glanced around the room. "There isn't enough of us here to do anything more than some small scale attacks or a rescue mission."

"And I'd bet that both of those are more likely to anger Dragomon than stop him," Sora added. She received several nods of agreement from other members of the group, including TK, Kari and Ken. "It would probably have the opposite effect and make him even more aggressive in his attempts to capture Kari, kill TK and it could make him want to take the dark spore from Ken."

"So we can't do anything at the moment?" Davis asked with his frustration clearly showing.

"No, not at the moment," Matt replied. He scratched the back of his head. "The only thing we can do is to have you and Yolei keep an eye on Ken while we keep TK and Kari together so they can protect each other. Who knows, Dragomon might change his strategy if TK and Kari can keep one another safe. Then there might be an option for a fairer fight."

* * *

The light from the bedside lamp was the only source of illumination in Kari's bedroom. It was shining on Kari and TK as they both slept restlessly in Kari's bed. TK was meant to be sleeping on the floor in his sleeping bag but he had climbed into his girlfriend's bed once her parents were asleep. Kari, who was wearing an oversized yellow t-shirt and white sweat shorts, had not given TK a choice in where he slept and made him join her in her bed. The couple had to be quiet because Kari's father had insisted that they kept the door open so he could hear if the two teens were up to something.

Sharing Kari's bed had turned out to be a good decision because the extra feeling of security it brought helped both teens to fall to sleep a lot easier than during the previous nights. However, it had not stopped Dragomon from trying to abduct them during their sleep. TK, who was only wearing grey sweatpants over his green boxers, had both his arms wrapped protectively around Kari. His left arm was around her shoulders and his right arm was around her back, holding her tightly against him. Kari had both her arms wrapped around TK's torso and was gripping on to him as tightly as she possibly could. She buried her face into TK's scarred chest before both of them started frantically kicking.

Patamon and Gatomon were sitting on the pine bedside table with seriously concerned expressions on their faces as they watched their Digidestined partners fight in yet another nightmare. They could see Kari's and TK's bodies flickering like the black and white static of a detuned TV. Both Digimon had tried to wake their partners but they had failed. They were completely out of ideas once again.

"I'll go and get Tai," Gatomon informed Patamon before she darted out of Kari's bedroom through the open door. Tai had decided to stay at home that night instead of returning to his university flat just in case this happened.

Patamon watched her leave before returning his gaze to the humans. The frantic movements of both Kari and TK had resulted in them kicking the pink bedcovers off on to the floor. The rookie Digimon noticed that the flickering of their bodies was getting worse with every minute that passed and he didn't know how much longer they had. His panic levels were rapidly rising inside him and it showed as tears began to form in his ocean blue eyes.

"Kari!" Tai screamed his sister's name before he, Agumon and Gatomon burst into the bedroom. Tai ran straight over to his sister and assessed the situation. He could see both his sister and TK kicking the air in unison and wondered what the hell was happening to them in their joint nightmare.

"Kari! TK! Wake up!" He yelled again before he placed both his hands on Kari's shoulders. He tried to shake her in an attempt to wake her up and realised just how tightly she and TK were holding one another. Tai decided to try and shake both of them as hard as he could but it still didn't work.

"They're flickering in that way again," Agumon stated with his concern lacing his tone.

"They aren't flickering," Tai replied as he tried to open TK's eyes. The blonde teen still remained in the terrifying grip of his nightmare even when Tai held the younger boy's sapphire eyes wide open. "What are you on about?"

"They are flicking," Patamon's panic was still rising as he spoke. "And it's getting worse."

"Normal humans can't see it but us Digimon can," Gatomon informed Tai as she tried to think of something that she could do to save her friends. "The only humans that can see it are Kari, TK and possibly Ken."

"What's going on?" The deep male voice of Kari and Tai's father caught the attention of the group. Susumu was standing with Yuuko in the doorway. They both had extremely worried looks etched across their faces. Their concern for Kari and TK made them push the questions about why TK was in Kari's bed with her to the back of their minds.

"It's happening again!" Yuuko exclaimed with her fear lacing her voice. She was holding her husband as tightly as she could and was doing her best to keep herself together. Tears began to fall from the corners of her eyes as her panic levels quickly rose.

"Is there anything we can do to wake them up?" Susumu asked as he placed his arm around his wife to try and calm her. He was doing his best to keep himself calm too but he knew from the expressions on Tai's and the Digimons' faces that what was going on was really bad.

"I don't know!" Tai answered honestly as he shook both Kari and TK once more. He then groaned in pain as one of Kari's kicks accidently caught him in the stomach and knocked him to the floor.

Agumon leapt to his partner's side to check on him. Tai pulled himself to his knees and realised there was nothing he could do except watch like the rest of them. He knelt on the floor of his sister's bedroom and his desperation started to take over.

Suddenly a bright light erupted from both Kari's and TK's bodies. It was the pink tinted glow from the Crest of Light and the golden energy from the Crest of Hope. The light continued to brighten, forcing Tai, his parents and Agumon to cover their eyes. Patamon and Gatomon set off around the room, desperately trying to burn off the sudden rush of energy that had entered their bodies. The light from TK and Kari combined once again to form a bright white light.

"What the hell is happening?" Susumu yelled as he was forced to turn his back to the light coming from his daughter and her boyfriend.

"It's the energy from their crests," Tai yelled back as he was also forced to shield his eyes from the extremely bright light. "They're using their light to fight the darkness again. They're going to be safe."

The light energy had completely stopped the flickering of Kari's and TK's bodies, which meant it had stopped the creatures of the Dark World from taking them. Their eyes suddenly opened and they gasped for air. The couple remained in their tight embrace as the bright aura around them slowly began to die down now that they were safe. The teens lay there in each other's arms, breathing heavily because they were exhausted from the whole ordeal of their joint nightmare.

Tai, his parents and Agumon reopened their eyes and turned to face TK and Kari once again. Patamon and Gatomon stopped their mad sprint as the energy inside their bodies returned to normal levels. Relieved expressions formed across all of their faces as they realised Kari and TK were now safe. It had proved to Susumu and Yuuko that the decision to allow Kari and TK to be kept together at all times was the right one. They hated the thoughts of what could have just happened to their daughter if they had rejected the plan and TK wasn't there to help Kari.

"Hold me, TK," Kari requested in a frightened tone. She sounded as if she was on the verge of crying. "Don't let go."

"I won't," TK reassured her as he placed the palm of his left hand on the back of her head. He held her as close to him as he possible could. Neither of them were aware of the others in the room with them.

"That was too close." Kari's tears began to fall from her auburn eyes on to TK's exposed scarred torso. "Metalseadramon nearly killed you."

* * *

I feel this is the best place for me to finish this chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Just so you know, the next chapter is going to get the next arc of the fic rolling. Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a review =D


	8. Love and War

**Chapter 8: Love and War**

Hi everyone. Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter. You know I always appreciate them. And for those of you wondering if the other Digidestined are going to appear more often from now on ... yes they will be.

As normal, I have to give you a disclaimer. I don't own Digimon or any other copyrighted things that I mention in this story. Simple, right?

This chapter is kind of a bridging chapter between the previous arc and the next arc of the story but kind of not at the same time. As I said in my notes at the end of the last chapter, the idea behind it is to get some of the other key plots moving. This chapter might also change the rating of the story from T to M. You guys will have to let me know whether I should change the rating after reading it.

* * *

The morning sunlight radiated out from the gaps in the blinds of TK's bedroom, illuminating the peaceful couple lying in bed. The door was slightly open and the sounds of morning cartoons and laughter could be heard from the living area of the apartment. That was where Patamon and Gatomon were watching TV together and waiting for their human partners to wake up. It had been three days since the darkness had last attacked Kari and TK so the Digimon felt like they could relax a bit.

Normally TK and Kari would be at school on a weekday such as this but their parents had agreed that it would be best to keep them off school for the whole week. The plan was originally Tai's and Matt's and their idea was to ensure that the two teens didn't suffer an attack from the darkness while they were in school. Two students disappearing or turning into beacons of light in the middle of a class would have serious repercussions not just for them but for all of the Digidestined. It would basically be impossible to explain without telling people that they were abducted by evil Digimon and even then most people would have chosen not to believe it.

Kari stirred slightly and sighed as she opened her auburn eyes. She found herself with her back pressed against her boyfriend's bare athletic chest and both of his strong arms wrapped around her waist. Her bare legs were entwined with his, although he was wearing the grey sweat pants that he normally slept in. TK's breath gently caressed the skin of her neck, leaving a warm tingling sensation that Kari enjoyed the feeling of so much.

She loved it when they were this close and this intimate. Kari loved the feeling of TK's body pressed up against hers, even if they were separated by the fabric of her oversized pink night shirt and the cotton of TK's sweat pants. She always felt safe like this. It made her feel like nothing could harm her and sensing the Light of Hope inside TK only made her feel more secure. Waking up in TK's arms every morning, like she had for the past three mornings, was something that Kari could easily get used to. In fact she wanted to wake up in her love's arms every morning from now on.

Initially the couple's parents had completely rejected the idea of them sharing the same bed for obvious reasons. They had originally insisted on TK sleeping on the floor in his sleeping bag but that all changed after the first night they spent together. Both Kari and TK were attacked by the darkness during their sleep and Kari's parents had seen them use their light to protect each other. Susumu had seen just how shaken and upset Kari was by the whole ordeal of their nightmares and it had softened his stance on the whole situation. He had let Kari fall asleep in TK's arms that night as it was obvious to him that it was where Kari felt and actually was the safest.

The next morning resulted in another awkward conversation between Kari's parents, Tai, TK, Kari, Patamon and Gatomon. They were sat eating breakfast together and Kari and TK were still clearly shaken by the attack from Metalseadramon in their joint nightmare. Kari had rather emotionally told her father about what happened, which ended with TK having to comfort her when she began to cry. Then Gatomon finally found the words to best explain how the light inside Kari and TK worked. She had said that the connection between their crests was like their relationship. It was explained that hope fuels the light and that, as the light gets brighter, it in turn generates more hope. It was similar to the way Kari's happiness fuelled TK's and vice versa. Gatomon finished by simplifying it and saying that the closer they are, the more powerful they are.

Susumu took this to mean that Kari and TK needed some kind of physical contact between their bodies to create the light he saw coming from them. He based his theory on what he had seen and what Yuuko had told him about the attacks she had seen earlier that day. He thought over things for a few minutes and, to just about everyone's surprise, he actually suggested that Kari and TK share a bed so they could protect each other from the darkness during their sleep. A strict no sex rule was laid down to make sure they didn't do anything he thought they shouldn't be doing. His logic for his u-turn on his stance was that the contact between them would allow them to create the light to keep one another safe if they were attacked in their sleep again. After all, Kari's safety came first to her father. Kari and TK didn't mention that they both knew they could form the connection between their crests without any physical contact. They wanted to share a bed because they felt safer in each other's arms, like Kari felt in the moment she currently found herself in.

Kari's mind drifted on to the intimacy of the moment. TK was the only person she could ever be this intimate with. He was the only person she could share her deepest feelings, greatest secrets and personal thoughts with. Her lover was the only person she could truly feel safe with when she was naked and exposed because Kari knew from the look in his eyes that he could never hurt her. She also knew he admired and was captivated by her body. She felt exactly the same way about him when he was exposed for her to see. The teen girl knew she was the only person he trusted not to judge or harm him while he was exposed or when he confessed his deepest feelings too.

Kari continued to think about how madly in love she and her boyfriend were. Being able to sleep together in the same bed like they had been doing for the past few nights had been great but almost a torture for them at the same time. The couple had found it extremely difficult to resist the urges to express their love for one another and they did their best to ignore their teenage hormones. It was blatantly obvious to Kari that TK was finding it just as hard to resist the urges as she was. She had told him during the first night that she was also fighting her hormones, but they both knew they couldn't have made love then and there. Patamon and Gatomon were in the same room and also Kari's parents might hear them. That was definitely enough to put both of them off.

However, the urges to express their feelings more intimately had finally got the better of the couple during the previous day. They had stayed at Kari's that night and had showered together. Showering together was something they had done every day since the attack from the darkness began because they knew they had to remain together to ensure their safety. During that shower, with Kari's father at work, her mother out food shopping and the Digimon in a different room, their feelings just took over and they could no longer resist the need to make love. They had broken the rule Kari's father had set out for them. However, the couple made sure there was no way their parents or brothers could find out that they had done anything.

Kari never really liked the idea of calling it sex. To her, the word sex implied it was just a biological function and suggested that there were no feelings involved. She preferred to call it making love because it better portrayed the feelings she and TK were sharing in those intimate moments. Regardless of whether they were going at it hard or gently, it was still a passionate and love filled experience for both of them. It was an intimate ecstasy that they could and only ever would share with each other and no one else. Only TK could ever give Kari that level of closeness and raw pleasure.

A loving smile had unknowing crept its way on to Kari's lips as she lay there in bed with her lover. She could also feel the same smile on TK's lips and she suddenly realised that he was awake. She guessed that he must have been enjoying the moment just as much as she was. Kari loved TK so much and found herself wanting to demonstrate it to him. She was glad that she was on the contraceptive pill.

Hormones suddenly found their way into Kari's blood stream and raced around her body. TK's breath on her neck made her begin to feel hot and she started to yearn for his gentle hands to touch her more intimately. Kari placed her hands over TK's and he instantly responded by placing kisses on her neck.

"Good morning beautiful girl," TK whispered softly before he went back to kissing Kari's smooth skin. The tingling his breath caused was even more noticeable now as the brunette girl's heart began to race.

She couldn't resist her urges anymore and a mischievous smirk formed across her lips. Kari spun in TK's arms so that they were face to face. Her auburn eyes stared into those hope filled sapphire blue orbs that she so often got lost in. "Good morning gorgeous."

Kari quickly closed her eyes as she pressed her lips up against TK's. She placed her hands on his bare chest and gently pushed him onto his back. Without breaking what had quickly become an extremely passionate kiss between the lovers, Kari climbed so that she was on all fours over her boyfriend. She pressed her body against his and deepened the kiss further, wanting to taste more of TK's mouth.

The laughing from their Digimon in the living area let the couple know that they were alone in TK's bedroom and, with TK's mother at work, they could let their desires take over. Their tongues slid into each other's mouths as their hands began exploring the other's body. The teens' breathing deepened and their hearts pounded away in their chests, sending even more hormones around their bodies.

Kari felt an overwhelming need to pleasure and be pleasured by her boyfriend growing exponentially inside her. She so desperately wanted to share her love and that intimate feeling with TK. In her opinion, they never had the free time to share that feeling as much as she would have liked to have done. She wanted to make sure he knew just how grateful she was that he had saved her from the Dark World and that he was continuing to protect her.

A wave of relief spread through Kari's mind when she finally felt her lover's hands slide under her oversized pink shirt. She felt the fabric being lifted over her hips, exposing her green French lace underwear to TK. Her choice of colour was deliberate because she knew green was his favourite colour and she also knew he particularly liked this set of her underwear. Kari felt TK's hand gliding up her back towards her matching green bra. He quickly unfastened the clip and slid it off with her shirt. Kari felt the bedcovers return to her now exposed back as TK threw her clothes to one side.

The teen couple went straight back to their kissing. Kari pressed her large perky breasts up against TK's athletic chest and she felt her yearning for TK beginning to be satisfied. She slowly slid her right hand down her lover's chest and across his stomach. At the same time TK's left hand cupped her right boob while his right hand slide down her stomach and under her only remaining piece of clothing to her womanhood.

Kari moaned with pleasure into the passionate kiss and she wanted to return the favour. Her hand glided the remaining distance across TK's stomach and slid under the hem of his sweat pants and boxers. She knew he was gifted with rather large wedding tackle and she was just about to grasp his manhood when they were interrupted.

"I see you're finally awake," Patamon said innocently as he announced his and Gatomon's presence. The Digimon had overheard their human partners' movements and had only just stepped through the door. Fortunately Kari and TK were still under the bedcovers so their Digimon had no idea what they were up to.

Kari squealed in embarrassment and quickly stopped what she was doing. She broke the kiss and buried her head between TK's neck and shoulder. Heat flooded to her cheeks as they turned bright red. "Have you two ever heard of knocking?"

"The door was open so we didn't think it would be a problem," Gatomon replied as puzzled expressions formed on hers and Patamon's faces. "Why? Is it a problem?"

TK took a deep breath and tried to force back the deep red blush on his cheeks. He was usually the one in the couple that answered the difficult questions like this and at that moment Kari was glad he did. "We were kind of in the middle of a rather intimate moment."

"Ooooh," both Digimon responded at the same time. Expressions of sudden realisation formed on their faces before quickly changing to nervous embarrassment. They realised it was definitely not a good time to walk in on their human partners.

"Could we have some alone time for half an hour or so?" TK asked rather awkwardly as he turned his head so he could see the Digimon.

"Make it an hour or more," Kari overruled. Her face was still buried between TK's neck and shoulder to hide her deep blush. "And close the door on your way out."

"Ok," Patamon and Gatomon replied in unison before turning around and quickly leaving the awkward moment. They closed the door and left the two Digidestined alone, granting them their private time.

Both Kari and TK sighed. The brunette girl moved her head away from her lover's neck and gazed into his eyes once more. She wondered how they could have become so lost in the moment that they forgot the bedroom door was open and that their Digimon could enter like they did. The question was easily answered when she felt her naked upper body against TK's and the love and passion flare up inside her once more.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you look when you blush?" TK teased her, making the red colour of her cheeks become even deeper if it was at all possible. He laughed playfully as he clearly noticed the increased intensity of her blush.

"All the time," Kari licked her lips and forced the embarrassing moment of a few seconds ago to the back of her mind. She closed the distance between her mouth and TK's once more to pick up where they left off. "Now where were we?"

* * *

Three nineteen year old girls and one boy of the same age stumbled along a poorly lit path leading through Shinjuku Central Park. The only light guiding them was from the night time glow of Tokyo city. The group of teens had been out drinking to celebrate a friend's birthday and were on their way home to their various apartments on the other side of the park. They had been in a nightclub dancing away and playing drinking games for the past four hours and were now extremely drunk. That meant the group were laughing loudly and joking with one another as they made their way home.

Suddenly a cold mist started to rise from the ground of the park. It was as if the developing haze had no central source and it looked like it was coming out of the grass, the trees and the paths themselves. The four young adults were too drunk to notice the thickening mist. In fact they were too drunk to even notice a scruffy homeless man sleeping on one of the benches.

The fog continued to thicken, quickly lowering the visibility. The temperature dropped too and soon the teens found themselves shivering and glancing around, wondering what had happened. They all had extremely puzzled expressions on their faces.

"Where has all this fog come from?" One of the girls, a tall long haired brunette, asked. Her worry was clear in her voice.

"From me," the slim athletic guy replied cockily. "It's because I'm so hot that I'm smokin'."

He was quickly elbowed in the side by another one of the girls. This girl had shoulder length black hair and appeared to be the guy's girlfriend. She had taken exception to him flirting with the other girl. "Nope it can't be you. I just touched you and I wasn't burnt."

"Hey, I was just joking," he replied while holding his ribs. The sharp elbow had really hurt.

"I can barely see five metres in front of me," the third girl spoke up as she glanced over to where she had seen a few trees less than ten seconds ago.

"Why is it so cold?" The first girl asked as she wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to get warm. "It's supposed to be summer."

"That's what you get for wearing a mini skirt and a top that barely covers your boobs," the black haired girl answered in a matter of fact tone.

"Some of us university students are single, you know, and we are trying to get a boyfriend," the brunette quipped back.

The black haired girl was going to respond but was stopped when the pink haired third girl screamed in horror. The whole group spun around to face her and saw three pairs of glowing red eyes approaching them. They slowly backed away from the approaching black shadows that were walking towards them through the mist. Despite being very drunk, the teens realised the creatures were rather menacing and coming after them. They turned and started to run, only to be confronted by more glowing pairs of red eyes.

The four young adults glanced around, looking for an escape route. They found themselves completely surrounded by the demonic eyes and more and more of them were slowly making their way out of the thick fog. There were too many for their drunk minds to comprehend.

Suddenly screams of pain and horror echoed across the park. A man called out for someone to help him. It sounded like he was in a desperate struggle with something or some things making an indescribable growling noise as they attacked. There was one last blood curdling scream before the man went silent.

"What the hell was that?" The black haired girl asked with her panic clearly written across her face.

"Forget what that was," her boyfriend replied as he gripped her hand tightly. "What on Earth are these things in front of us?"

The black ghastly shadows were a metre away from the teens now and had them completely surrounded. There was no obvious escape route for them and it looked like the only way out was to fight. They huddled closely together in the centre of the circle created by the dark beings like animals being hunted by predators. The group were easily within the reach of the shadow creatures' sharp webbed claws.

"Are they chosen?" One of the black frog-like creatures asked. Its red demonic eyes were fixed on the teens in front of it.

"No," another replied coldly. "But we'll kill them anyway. It will help when the time comes."

"Yes, that will mean there will be less resistance when we begin the hunt for the Queen of Light and the One of Hope," a third one spoke up.

The Deep Ones suddenly pounced, swing their claws at the torsos of the four teens. The students screamed in pain and horror as the claws connected with their bodies. The shadow creatures ripped through their clothes and slashed open their skin, letting blood flow freely from the painful horrific wounds. The young adults tried to fight back but they were completely overwhelmed. More and more of the evil beings leaped upon them, swing their claws at full force.

More blood curdling screams echoed throughout the park as the assault continued. The claws ripped into the teens' bodies over and over until the cries of agony stopped and their targets lay motionless on the stone path. The students' bodies were in a pool of crimson blood and torn to shreds. The shadow beings, content with their work, slowly reseeded back into the fog in search of more victims.

* * *

Wormmon, Davis and Veemon all stood at the side of Ken's bed with extremely concerned expressions etched across their faces. They were staring at Ken, who was rolling around in his bed and in the middle of a nightmare. It was Davis' and Veemon's turn to watch over Ken. They were taking alternate nights with Yolei and Hawkmon to make sure Ken wasn't pulled into the Dark World.

It was the first nightmare about the Dark World that the violet haired teen had endured since the end of the Digidestineds' second adventure five years ago. Davis found himself somewhat strangely relieved that this was happening while he was watching over Ken because he knew Yolei would be in hysterics by now. The goggle-head and the Digimon had tried everything they could think of to wake Ken up and pull him out of his nightmare. However, just like when Tai, Patamon, Gatomon and Agumon had tried to wake TK and Kari during their last nightmare a few days ago, nothing had worked.

Davis had tried shaking Ken, pulling his eyelids open, splashing him with water and even slapping the boy genius, but nothing work at all. Veemon and Wormmon had told him that Ken's body was flickering in the way that was typical for a nightmare about the Dark World. That meant that either Dragomon or Daemon were trying to abduct Ken. Davis guessed the reason had something to do with the dark spore.

All the commotion had woken up both of Ken's parents. They were standing in the doorway of their son's bedroom with seriously worried expressions etched across their faces. Ken's father was holding his panicking wife tightly in his arms as he watched on. Neither of them knew what was going on and they were both frightened of losing their son again.

"Damn it!" Davis punched the mattress of Ken's bed in frustration. "Wake up, Ken!"

The teen genius' movements became more frantic and a look of worry spread across his face. He rolled over once more, kicking out in what appeared to be self defence. Davis assumed his best friend was fighting one or more of those Deep Ones that Kari and TK had told him about. The spiky chestnut brown haired teen was out of ideas and knew his only option was to get help. He reached for his red phone and began frantically searching for Kari's number. At least she and TK might be able to help Ken.

Ken suddenly gasped for air. He lurched forwards, sitting up in his bed and breathing heavily. His violet coloured eyes shot wide open and showed the fear he felt from the events in his nightmare. His hands tightly gripped his bed sheets as he curled them into fists. The teen boy's body was shaking as he tried to calm himself down.

"Ken!" The watching grouped yelled in unison. The worry was still clear in their voices but it was mixed with some degree of relief now that Ken was awake.

"Are you ok, dude?" Davis asked as he placed his hand on Ken's shoulder.

"Yeah," Ken nodded as he continued to try and regain his breath. He released the covers from within his fists and used his right arm to wipe the cold sweat off his forehead. He then glanced around his bedroom and sighed in relief.

"What the hell happened?" Davis continued to enquire. His adrenaline was still racing around his body and he hadn't been able to calm down yet. Although, he was clearly relieved that Ken had finally woken up.

"Those creatures that live in the Dark Ocean, the Deep Ones, pulled me into their realm to talk to me. They said that they can't reach TK and Kari during their sleep now for some reason. I guess the protection they are providing for each other is working," Ken ran the fingers of his right hand through his hair. He was clearly thinking about what he had been told in his nightmare. "It's bad, Davis. Very bad!"

"Why?" Davis' tone took on a more obvious panic as he heard his best friend's words. He thought that those creatures not being able to get into TK and Kari's nightmares would be something positive. "It's a good thing that those creeps can't get Kari or TK. So why or how is it so bad?"

"They're coming after us," Ken replied as he stared into his friend's brown eyes. "The war is going extremely wrong for Dragomon and he is starting to become desperate. He is so desperate that he is going to send Deep Ones after us. They are coming to Earth to get us!"

* * *

I was originally going to write that conversation between TK, Kari, their Digimon, Kari's parents and Tai that was referred to in the first scene, but I decided not to in the end. The main reason was that it would end up too similar to the conversation with their parents a few chapters back.

On a different note, was this chapter any good? Was anyone expecting to see the Deep Ones on Earth? Also, do you think I should change the rating of the fic to M after the events in this chapter? Please let me know by leaving a review =D


	9. Daemon's Spawn Part 1

**Chapter 9: Daemon's Spawn Part 1**

Hello everyone and happy new year. I know it's late but this is my first update of the year so yeah. Thank you to all of you who reviewed the last chapter. I'm glad you liked the idea of the Deep Ones coming to Earth because that is a key part of the story going forwards.

I've also upped the rating of this fic to M after the last chapter, as many of you suggested I should do it in your reviews. It covers some of the more mature romance side and the possible content of several battles that are coming up. Some of the battles that I have planned or their aftermaths are going to contain some rather dark moments. After all, the Digimon that the Digidestined are fighting are evil, dark, twisted, at war and desperate.

Right, time for another disclaimer. I don't own Digimon or any other copyrighted things I mention in this story. I would have made more use of the two main evil Digimon in this chapter if I did ...

* * *

The Sun shone brightly in the clear afternoon sky over Tokyo, bathing the city in warmth. The Odaiba area was no exception and the good weather had brought loads of people out to the park. However, there weren't as many people out as expected because of the recent attacks that had occurred in the city during the night. These murders had prompted some residents to stay inside where it was safer.

TK and Kari were walking through the park with Patamon and Gatomon at their sides. Izzy and Mimi were walking ahead of them and Davis, Ken and Yolei were talking about something while strolling along behind the couple. The other Digidestined had their Digimon with them too just in case they were attacked. The Digimon were in disguise to make sure they weren't blamed for the recent murders.

The group were making their way home after the school day, which meant they were all in the uniforms of Odaiba Senior High School. The guys uniform consisted of a white shirt, grey trousers and green jacket with the option of a blue tie. The girls uniforms were green blouses with white sailor collars and green pleated skirts that reached midway up their thighs.

It had been the first day back at school for Kari and TK since the attacks from the darkness had begun. The couple were still spending all of their time together, alternating between each other's apartments every two nights. The protection provided by being together constantly seemed to be working because both TK and Kari had not been bothered by the darkness since they used their light to protect one another during their last nightmare. They were both glad that their parents had agreed to let them continue sleeping together despite the lack of recent nightmares for either of them. They, their parents, their Digimon and the rest of the Digidestined had all agreed that splitting them up would be a bad idea, especially if the Dark World was in any way connected to the recent murders going on throughout the city.

The last nightmare any of the Digidestined had about the Dark World was the one Ken had. That nightmare was when the Deep Ones had told Ken that they were coming to Earth to kill the Digidestined and take Kari. They had offered him the ultimatum of surrendering Kari now or they would continue their attacks. Ken naturally refused to surrender, which he believed had led to the recent murders going on in other parts of Tokyo. Yolei and Davis were also still taking turns to watch over Ken even though he had not had another nightmare since that particular vision.

That nightmare was on the same night that a strange mist cloud developed in a park in the Shinjuku area of the city. The first of several attacks had apparently taken place in that fog. The victims had been clawed and beaten to death by some undetermined monster that appeared in the mist. Every night from then on there had been more murders in different areas of Tokyo. None had occurred in the Odaiba area yet, which was a relief for the Digidestined.

The Digidestined had been quick to connect the Deep Ones to the mysterious fog and the murders but realised just as quickly that there was nothing they could do about it. The murders were committed and the culprits were gone before they could even get to the scene. When they had reached the site, police officers and detectives were all over the place and the Digidestined couldn't risk exposing themselves. The Chosen had held the second emergency meeting that week to discuss the problem and were now waiting on Gennai, Izzy and Ken to come up a solution. Meanwhile, the rest of the group were unable to do anything as the reports of more murders appeared on the news every morning.

Despite the gloom that had been lingering over the Digidestined for the past few days, they were managing to push the problems to the back of their minds for the moment. The group were enjoying their walk home in the sun, talking with each other and relaxing for the first time in several days. TK and Kari were no exception and they were discussing the various rumours that had sprung up about them while they were off school.

"I can't believe that the most popular rumour was that I'm pregnant," Kari pursed her lips as she glanced over at her boyfriend. "It's was so embarrassing to be asked when the baby is due and having to tell people that I'm not having a child."

"Well at least it is less grim than the rumour saying we were both injured in some accident," TK smiled as he squeezed his girlfriend's left hand with his right hand. Their fingers were entwined like they always were every time the couple walked anywhere.

Kari shook her head at the ideas some of her fellow students had come up with to explain both her and TK being absent at the same time. "Some of them were strangely accurate though. I'm sure a few people said that we had been attacked or abducted by monsters. Although they were probably joking about it when they said it."

TK shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just glad that the teachers bought our story about both of us getting food poisoning. Convincing them was all what really mattered."

"Yeah, true," Kari finished before the two teens slipped into a comfortable silence. They continued to stroll down the path in the park with the other Digidestined. They were still enjoying the company of one another even after being together twenty four hours a day for a whole week now. In fact the lovers both agreed that they could get used to it so easily.

The Digidestined continued along the path towards their homes, ignoring the other people in the park around them. They were blissfully unaware that they were being watched by several men and women who were following them. These men and women were filming them with hidden cameras located in the civilian clothes that they were wearing. They were undercover and more used to wearing black suits while they worked.

"What's that?" Ken suddenly stopped as a shiver ran up his spine. He started glancing around the park with an expression of fear on his face. All the other Digidestined and the Digimon stopped and turned to face him.

"I can sense a dark power forming," Kari announced as she gripped TK's hand tightly. Her eyes left Ken and fixed on to the area it was coming from. There appeared to be nothing there apart from an empty area of grass.

"I can sense it too," TK spoke through gritted teeth. This was the moment he had been expecting since the murders began. The moment when the Deep Ones came after him and Kari on Earth. "It has the same feeling as the evil power in the Dark World."

Suddenly a mist started rising out of the grass right on the spot that the entire group was now staring at. The fog spread across the floor and quickly expanded. The temperatures suddenly dropped and those that could sense evil knew it was coming. The mist continued to grow and surrounded the Digidestined within seconds.

"Everyone get ready," Davis ordered as he unclipped his blue and white digivice from his belt. Some of the other Digidestined did the same thing as the Digimon removed their disguises and entered their preferred fighting stances.

TK pulled Kari as close to him as he could. He was going to make sure that those creeps didn't capture her, no matter what the cost was to him. He, like Kari and Ken, kept using his sixth sense to try and pick out any evil creatures entering this world through the porthole formed in the fog. They noticed several focus points coming through the gateway, meaning several dark creatures had arrived. More and more kept arriving, but they weren't the evil beings that TK, Kari or Ken were expecting.

"What?" Kari growled and clenched her spare hand into a fist. Her eyes narrowed as she glared into the fog. She recognised the darkness coming from one of the creatures and she hated this Digimon with a passion. "Her! What is she doing here?"

TK glanced at his girlfriend. He knew who this Digimon was as well and he also knew about Kari's past with her. The blonde teen could also distinguish a few other familiar Digimon amongst these invaders. His grip on Kari's hand tightened further as he turned his attention to the Digimon. "Digivolve now!"

"Patamon digivolve to Angemon. Angemon digivolve to ..." Patamon obeyed his human partner's orders without question. He could sense the darkness too and knew they were in for a tough fight. The light of digivolution surrounded his body and the energy allowed him to grow into the eight winged male angel that was his ultimate form. "... Magnaangemon!"

"Gatomon digivolve to ..." Gatomon entered her digivolution just as quickly. She wanted a piece of this Digimon that had returned. The energy from Kari's digivice engulfed her and she took on the form of an eight winged female angel. "... Angewomon!"

The two angel Digimon shone brightly in the fog, which surrounded the group and encased the park. They lit up the mist and their light started to dissipate it, making the outlines of their foes visible. The last of the dark creatures had left the porthole and it had begun to close down. It stopped spewing darkness on to the Earth and allowed the light from the angel Digimon to push it back further.

"Everyone else should digivolve to their highest level too," Ken ordered before he glanced at Davis. "Are you ready?"

"I'm always ready," Davis smirked before he and Ken pointed the screens of their digivices at Veemon and Wormmon.

"Veemon ..."

"Wormmon ..."

"... Warp DNA digivolve to ..." The bright light of digivolution engulfed both Veemon and Wormmon. Their bodies combined together and grew rapidly. Two large red wings protruded out of their united form's back as black, white, gold and red armour covered its blue skin. A large blue tail whipped around out of the back of this humanoid-like dragon's armour. A large cannon took shape on the right forearm of the Digimon, completing the digivolution to the mega level. "... Imperialdramon Fighter Mode!"

"It's your turn, Hawkmon," Yolei pointed her digivice at the red and white bird Digimon. "Let's kick some evil creep's butt."

"Hawkmon digivolve to ..." Hawkmon's bodied rapidly expanded and took on the shape of a large eagle. He had two large horns protruding from his skull and two powerful wings coming out of his back. His yellow skinned talons were sharp enough to tear through most Digimon's flesh. The light surrounding his body died down to reveal the red and white plumage of the champion level bird. "... Aquilamon!"

"Don't leave us out," Mimi yelled as she and Izzy grabbed their old style white digivices and thrust them in the direction of their Digimon. Mimi's digivice suddenly turned green and Izzy's turned purple before a bright beam of energy erupted out of both of them and travelled straight for their respective Digimon.

"Palmon digivolve to Togemon. Togemon digivolve to ..." Palmon grew and her form changed into one similar to a human female. Four green leaf-like wings spread out from her back as a pink petal shaped dress covered her body. A similar pink petal helmet took shape on her head as green and yellow flower boots and gloves formed around her hands and feet. The energy of her digivolution to ultimate faded away and revealed her long green vine-like hair. "... Lillymon!"

"Tentomon digivolve to Kabuterimon. Kabuterimon digivolve to ..." Tentomon took to the air as his body became encased in a shell of light. This shell quickly formed the tough casing on his ultimate form's back that protected his body. The bug Digimon's limbs all extended out as a giant two pronged horn grew out of his head. The energy surrounding his body died down to show the deep red colour of his exoskeleton. "... Megakabuterimon!"

The light energy from both Magnaangemon and Angewomon continued to push the darkness back until the sunlight could penetrate the mist once more. Most of the people in the park had ran away as soon as the fog began forming, knowing from the news that it was a prelude to the murders that had been going on in the city. That meant the Digimon were free to battle with the creatures that had come from the Dark World. The only people left in the park besides the Digidestined were those people that were secretly filming them.

Loads of glowing red eyes glared at the Digidestined and their Digimon. A large number of the eyes belonged to the ten Devidramon that were lined up in a row. These dark dragons had powerful jaws full of sharp teeth that were easily capable of ripping through skin. They had four eyes for extra depth perception, which increased the chances of them hitting their target with the sharp red claws on their forearms. They each had four torn black wings protruding from their backs and a long black tail that flicked impatiently behind them. The Devidramons' hind legs were powerful and possessed another pair of demonic claws.

Amongst the Devidramon were four much smaller Digimon. They were each carrying a giant golden sickle in one hand and a spiked ball on the end of a long metal chain in their other hand. The body of these Phantomon consisted of a grey robe and their heads were covered by the hood of a red cape, which fluttered around behind them in the breeze.

Two ultimate Digimon, which were clearly the leaders of this small army, stood at the front of the group. The first was the familiar figure of Skullsatamon. This demon resembled a human skeleton with a pair of large black wings coming out of his spinal cord. The Digimon's skull was black, like the bones that formed its legs, and its rib cage and arms were red. Skullsatamon's hands and feet were protected by metal armour and he carried a staff in his right hand. This staff had a powerful digicore at one end and a sickle-like blade at the other.

The other leader was a female fallen angel that the Digidestined recognised instantly. Her skin was a dead grey colour and the black wings protruding from her back were torn and ragged. She wore tight black clothes that hugged her large breasts, curvy hips and long legs. A black mask covered most of her head but left her red demonic eyes and fanged mouth exposed. A shadow, which also possessed glowing red eyes, hovered over her left shoulder and it appeared as if it was an extension of her clothing. This female devil's image was finished by the large sharp red claw that was her left hand. The group all knew that this monster was Ladydevimon.

"What the hell do you want?" Kari spat her question venomously at the female demon. "Are you responsible for the recent murders throughout the city?"

Ladydevimon replied to Kari's questions with a loud evil laugh. She was looking forward to battling the Digidestined and Digimon of Light once again. She enjoyed any chance to hurt or kill the two she considered to be her nemeses. She licked her lips at the thought and stared straight into Kari's anger filled eyes. The demon then glanced between Kari and TK, licking her lips once more as she eyed up TK.

"I never expected the Chosen of Hope to become so attractive. That scar on his face looks so manly. I wouldn't mind drinking all of his blood out of him," Ladydevimon spoke in a twisted taunting tone that she knew would only anger Kari further. She licked her lips yet again before she exposed her vampire-like fangs. An expression that was a mixture of fear, confusion and disgust formed across TK's face as Ladydevimon continued. "In fact I could imagine it would be a real pleasure. I want revenge for my lover since you two killed him."

"Keep away from TK you sick bitch," Kari growled in rage. The eyes of all the present Digidestined fell on Kari. She rarely swore and it showed just how much she hated Ladydevimon. Kari took a step in front of TK and put her spare arm across him in a protective manner. For once their roles were reverse. "I'll never let you touch TK. Now tell me why you are here!"

Ladydevimon laughed evilly again. "First of all, we didn't have anything to do with the other gates that have recently been opened between the Dark World and this world. That is Dragomon's doing. He is trying to make you his bride, as I'm sure you are already aware."

"And we can't let that happen. If it did happen then the balance of power in our war with Dragomon would shift," Skullsatamon took over. His voice was laced with sadistic undertones. "So we have been sent here to kill both the Chosen of Light and the Chosen of Hope. Daemon says we can also kill off any other Digidestined and Digimon that get in our way. I've waited for years to get my revenge."

TK pulled Kari as close to him as he could. There was no way he'd let these creeps hurt his love. He also placed his spare arm in front of Kari, like she had done to him. The couple then decided to release one another's hands and pull each other into an embrace. TK placed his right arm around Kari's shoulders and his left arm around her back. Kari returned the gesture by wrapping both her arms around TK's back and holding on to him rather tightly. They both glared at the demons standing before them.

The gazes of both Davis and Ken were fixed on Skullsatamon. They couldn't forget the first time they had fought the skeletal demon because it had nearly resulted in the death of everyone on a full bus. Fortunately Imperialdramon managed to break free from the paralyzing attack that Skullsatamon had used on him and he converted to his fighter mode for the first time. That allowed the mega Digimon to kill the monster and rescue everyone on the bus.

"What's the plan?" Izzy asked the rest of the group. He was calm and carefully thinking things through, like he always did. His mind was in overdrive as he tried to come up with the quickest way to beat the evil Digimon confronting the Digidestined.

"Leave Skullsatamon to me and Ken," Davis replied as he clenched both of his fists. He didn't take his eyes of the skeleton that was glaring back at him and Ken.

"Angewomon can handle Ladydevimon," Kari glanced up at her Digimon partner. Angewomon was as ready for this fight as Kari was. Both of them wanted a piece of the twisted devil.

"Magnaangemon can handle the Phantomon," TK glanced between all of the evil Digimon. He remembered how Magnaangemon had defeated several Phantomon with ease during one of his battles with Neodevimon.

"That leaves the Devidramon for Megakabuterimon, Lillymon and Aquilamon," Izzy finished. He knew that the demonic monsters outnumbered the Chosen Digimon but he also knew that the evil Digimon were out gunned. He was just about to give the order to attack when ...

"Not a chance," Skullsatamon charged at Magnaangemon. It was almost as if he had vanished he was moving that quickly. He drew his staff back before swinging it forwards at the male angel Digimon. "Nail bone!"

Magnaangemon just managed to block the attack in time with his purple beam sword. He grunted as he used all of his strength to repel Skullsatamon's attack. The two Digimon found themselves locked in a test of muscle as the other Digimon appeared to stand and watch. Imperialdramon suddenly snapped into action and flew straight at the monstrous skeleton. He swung his right claw at the demon just as Magnaangemon pushed away from him to create a bit of distance. Skullsatamon saw the attack coming and veered off with Imperialdramon in pursuit.

The others all took this as their cue to attack. Ladydevimon and Angewomon flew straight at one another with their right hands stretched out in front of them. They both swung their hands towards each other as hard as possible and they both connected with loud cracks. The two female Digimon followed it up with another slap, followed by another and another. They both grabbed a hold of the other's hair and started pulling as their struggle began. A few of the Digidestined wondered why the two Digimon hadn't use their normal attacks on one another.

Magnaangemon now had a clear shot at the Phantomon and Devidramon, as Imperialdramon had set off after Skullsatamon. A rainbow coloured energy formed around his beam sword before he pointed it in the direction of one of the Phantomon. He released his attack as an energy beam. "Aurora beam!"

The beam hit one Phantomon and deleted it instantly. It continued onwards and struck two Devidramon as well. The two giant black dragons roared in agony as the powerful light attack dissolved parts of their bodies. The rest of their bodies quickly shattered into data, leaving nothing left.

"That makes my job a lot easier," Megakabuterimon commented as he flew head first at the remaining Devidramon. An orange glow formed around his two pronged horn as he powered up his main attack. "Horn buster!"

Megakabuterimon flew straight at the Devidramon from the side, impaling them on his horn and deleting six of them in one pass. The two on the end of the line had managed to take to the air just in time to avoid the same fate as their comrades. However, they were then greeted by the waiting Aquilamon and Lillymon. Aquilamon flew straight at one of the Devidramon with the intent of impaling it on his horns in the same way that Megakabuterimon had done to the others. At the same time Lillymon powered up her main attack by placing her hands together and forming a large bulb around them.

"Grand horn!" Aquilamon roared before striking the Devidramon he was aiming for in its side. The dark dragon roared as it shattered into nothing, allowing Aquilamon to swoop around and survey the rest of the battle.

"Flower cannon!" The bulb at the end of Lillymon's hands erupted and launched a ball of green energy directly at the remaining Devidramon. The energy cut straight through the last of the flying dragons and left it to slowly dissolve into nothing. Lillymon quickly released another ball of energy as she saw one of the Phantomon coming for her. The attack stuck it head on and deleted it instantly as well.

"Get her, Angewomon!" Kari yelled as she watched her Digimon partner fight with Ladydevimon. The female angel and devil had already landed more slaps on one another than anyone could count. There had been several handfuls of hair ripped out too as they fought back and forth in the sky.

Megakabuterimon arched his flight path around and charged horn first at one of the two remaining Phantomon. The reaper-like Digimon couldn't move quickly enough to avoid the giant red beetle's attack. His horn struck its body full on and deleted the Phantomon instantly. Magnaangemon fired another beam at the other remain Phantomon at the same time. The energy had the same effect as it did on the first one and finished it off with little effort.

Several blasts echoed across the city and a few dust clouds lifted into the air. Imperialdramon fired his main attack in the direction of Skullsatamon once more. The blue beam, with purple energy in a helix around, it cascaded towards the skeleton Digimon. Skullsatamon jumped out of the way once again only for Imperialdramon to fire another beam at him. The attack missed once more as the demon was too quick for him to hit when there was that much distance between them.

Skullsatamon suddenly charged at Imperialdramon, using his lighting speed to his advantage. He swung his staff at the dragon with all the force he could create. Imperialdramon quickly brought his right claw up to protect himself and he blocked the attack just in time. The humanoid dragon retaliated with his superior strength to send the demonic Digimon flying across the park.

"This is going well," Mimi commented as Lillymon and Megakabuterimon joined Imperialdramon in the chase after Skullsatamon.

"A little too well," Izzy replied with a sense of dread in his voice. He knew that something bad always happened to them when the fights went this well. There was always an unexpected twist. "I don't like it. This is too easy."

Aquilamon and Magnaangemon patiently waited either side of Ladydevimon for their chance to attack. The dark demon was still in her cat fight with Angewomon. Both of their cheeks were bright red from all the slaps that they had struck one another with and they showed no signs of letting up. They were now swinging kicks at each other as well, but the fighting remained at too closer quarters for either Magnaangemon or Aquilamon to be able to attack. They couldn't risk accidently hitting Angewomon.

Imperialdramon missed with another one of his laser attacks. Skullsatamon then dodged Lillymon's Flower Cannon and dived straight for the rather large red target of Megakabuterimon. He swung his staff at the bug Digimon, aiming directly for his stomach. Megakabuterimon did his best to block and avoid the attack but he failed. A yellow light erupted from Skullsatamon's weapon as he struck his target straight in the abdomen.

"There's always some twist," Izzy gasped through clenched teeth as he watched Megakabuterimon revert back to Tentomon. The impact from the attack was enough to send the red bug Digimon flying through the air towards the Digidestined. Tentomon landed with a hard thud and skidded along the floor for a few metres. Izzy instinctively ran over to his partner to check on him.

Ladydevimon connected with another slap to Angewomon's face and took the opportunity to deliver a kick to the angel's midsection. She swung her leg with as much force as she could and connected with the stomach of her foe. Angewomon doubled over in pain, giving Ladydevimon another chance to land a kick. This time the demon landed the kick square on the female angel's temple, sending her spiralling down to the ground.

"Angewomon!" Kari gasped as she watched her Digimon partner smash into the ground. She was suddenly caught in two minds. She didn't know whether she should run over to Angewomon and help her or to stay where she was. To her relief, Angewomon started to move but it was already too late.

"Darkness wave!" Ladydevimon had released a swarm of burning black bats at Aquilamon. The giant eagle was stopped in his tracks and roared in agony before light surrounded his body and he returned to his rookie form. Ladydevimon then avoided Magnaangemon's beam attack as Hawkmon fell limply to the ground.

Ladydevimon corkscrewed over another attack from Magnaangemon and found herself flying straight at the Digidestined. She wasn't going to turn this chance down and dived straight at TK and Kari. Magnaangemon couldn't do anything because if his manoeuvre missed then it would kill Kari and TK. He and Angewomon were forced to watch as Ladydevimon stretched her left claw out in front of her. A horrible feeling of déjà vu spread through their minds.

TK quickly pulled Kari down to the floor with him in an attempt to stop Ladydevimon from getting them in her grasp. There wasn't enough time for either of them to run to safety. He instinctively climbed on top of her and held her tightly, using his own body as a shield to protect his love.

Kari tried to wriggle free from his grip. She didn't want TK to sacrifice himself to save her. She couldn't let him attempt that ever again, especially after what happened during that battle with Neodevimon. Kari closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable now that Ladydevimon was virtually on top of them. All she could do was scream. "TK! Noooooo!"

Blasts continued to echo across the battlefield as Imperialdramon and Lillymon continued to fight Skullsatamon. They were completely unaware of the horror the other Digimon and the Digidestined were being forced to watch. The eyes of those watching were all opened wide in pure terror as Ladydevimon landed on top of TK and Kari. She thrust her claw forwards, straight at them.

Kari gasped as she felt two sharp tips pinning her to the ground. She heard TK gasp too as she lay there with her eyes closed, completely helpless and unable to stop whatever was going to happen. Time felt as if it had stopped but in reality several seconds had passed and nothing more had happened other than them being pinned down to the ground. Kari could still hear TK's heavy breathing in her left ear and felt a wave of relief flood through her body as she realised he was still alive. The relief meant that she dared to open her auburn eyes to survey the aftermath of the attack. Kari instantly regretted it as she came face to face with Ladydevimon.

Ladydevimon was using her sharp left claw to trap both TK and Kari. Her thumb was placed in Kari's left side and her middle finger was pinning the brunette teen's right shoulder to the ground. The evil demon's index finger, ring finger and little finger were all on TK's back, trapping him on top of Kari. There was no chance of either of them moving without the twisted devil's claw cutting deeper into them.

Kari felt the tips of the claw piercing through her school uniform and into her skin. There wasn't enough force to cause any lasting damaged but the sharp tips had already drawn blood from the wounds. Kari guessed that the fingers trapping TK had cut him in a similar manner by the way he had gasped when Ladydevimon landed on top of them. It was a deliberate ploy from the demon Digimon to remind them that she could kill the couple at any moment if they didn't do what she wanted.

"I'll kill them both if anyone dares to make an attempt to save them. Now back off," Ladydevimon confirmed what Kari thought she was doing. Clearly the dark demon had a plan for them. Magnaangemon and Angewomon, as well as the other Digidestined, were forced to move away. They didn't want to risk the lives of their friends by doing something reckless.

Ladydevimon returned her focus to TK and Kari, ignoring the blasts from the battle still raging on behind her. She lowered her body down on top of TK's to pin the two Digidestined even closer together. Her sharp claw dug a little deeper into them both but she was careful not to injure them any worse than she had already done. At least not yet anyway. She placed her right hand on top of TK's head and roughly clasped a handful off his golden blonde hair. The devil Digimon then pushed her humanoid body up against the two Digidestined under her.

Kari shook with fear as tears welled up in her eyes. She wanted to close them and scream, but forced herself not to as an act of defiance. Her breathing deepened further as she felt Ladydevimon using her body to squash TK against her. There was no chance of the couple escaping the grip of her nemesis while she was on top of them. It also made sure that the Chosen Digimon couldn't attack Ladydevimon because it was just too risky. Their attacks could easily kill TK and Kari if they missed by even a millimetre.

TK gasped as Ladydevimon used her handful of his hair to pull his head back. Her red demonic gaze then locked on to Kari's auburn eyes. The demon laughed as she noticed the tears streaming down Kari's cheeks and the pleading look that developed on the brunette girl's face. She knew that Kari was hoping she wouldn't harm her precious love. A twisted, devious and evil smirk formed on her lips as she lowered her face so that it was level with Kari's. Neither girl blinked as they glared at one another.

Suddenly the female demon broke their eye contact and turned her gaze to TK. She licked her lips and exposed her vampire fangs before placing her mouth against the blonde teen's cheek. Ladydevimon slid her tongue out of her mouth and licked up and down TK's cheek several times to see if she would like the taste of his blood. She was the predator and TK was her prey.

Kari felt her rage building inside of her. It was one thing to taunt her but it was a completely different thing to use TK in this manner. Every movement of Ladydevimon's tongue added to the fire and fury that was building to bursting point inside the teen girl. Anyone who hurt TK or used him like this would have to answer to her. She was going to make Ladydevimon pay for this. Kari's rage built up to an extent that she had never felt before.

Ladydevimon stopped licking TK's cheek before her demonic gaze focused back on Kari. They made eye contact once more as the demon licked her lips. Her devious smirk returned. "He tastes good. I'm going to enjoy this."

That was the final straw. Kari's eyes narrowed and she clenched her fists into tight balls. Her fury burned in her eyes as it finally erupted. She couldn't take it any longer. She snapped.

* * *

Well this battle is turning out longer than I originally planned, which means this is probably the best place for me to leave it. I didn't really intend on it turning out this way when I started writing it and it isn't exactly what I had in mind. However, it kind of began writing itself and it ended up taking this path the more I thought about Ladydevimon's character and her hatred for Angewomon and Kari. All of which means you guys get an extra chapter.

So was this chapter good, bad or mediocre? Did anyone expect Ladydevimon to use TK to get at Kari? Did anyone expect her and Skullsatamon to turn up? Please let me know by leaving a review =D


	10. Daemon's Spawn Part 2

**Chapter 10: Daemon's Spawn Part 2**

Hello everyone. Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter. You know I always appreciate them. I'm sorry for how long this chapter has taken for me to publish. I was aiming to post it two weeks ago but a combination of the last month being a generally bad one for me and writer's block for the last scene slowed me down. Sorry it is so late.

I don't own Digimon or any other copyrighted things I mention in this story. Or do I?

Now it's time to pick up where the last chapter left off. I will warn you now that this chapter gets rather dark to start off with. I think this chapter shows that I've been reading a horror fic over the recent weeks. I hope it isn't too dark.

* * *

Ladydevimon stopped licking TK's cheek before her demonic gaze focused back on Kari. They made eye contact once more as the demon licked her lips. Her devious smirk returned. "He tastes good. I'm going to enjoy this."

That was the final straw. Kari's eyes narrowed and she clenched her fists into tight balls. Her fury burned in her eyes as it finally erupted. She couldn't take it any longer. She snapped and swung her left fist at Ladydevimon's cheek. Her punch connected perfectly with the demon's face. Ladydevimon froze in shock, which allowed Kari to wriggle her left leg out from under TK and follow up her punch with a kick to her foe's stomach.

Ladydevimon winced in pain as Kari continued throwing punch after punch and swinging kick after kick at the evil Digimon. The other Digidestined watch with a mixture of shock and horror on their faces as Kari forced Ladydevimon's body off her and TK.

"Leave my boyfriend alone you psycho bitch!" Kari screamed as she continued to fight back with as much strength as she could in her current situation. She could feel the cuts deepening where Ladydevimon's claw was pinning her down but she didn't care. Kari guessed the cuts on TK's back were becoming worse too as a result of her movements, but she forced that thought to the back of her mind. She was willing to have a few minor injuries now to make sure they were both still alive later.

The shock on Ladydevimon's face suddenly changed to an expression of anger. "Stop it now you little brat!"

TK suddenly screamed in pain as Ladydevimon dragged her left index finger across his back. She gouged into his skin, ripping through his school jacket and shirt with ease as she did so. She had cut diagonally left to right between his shoulder blades and blood quickly began flowing from the wound.

The sound of TK's pained scream was enough to stop Kari from battling and she froze once more. She didn't want her love to be seriously injured because of her ever again, leaving her no choice but to stop her fight back. The teen girl and Ladydevimon glared hatefully at each other as the devil pushed her body back up against TK's. Kari gritted her teeth and refused to break their eye contact.

Ladydevimon smirked sadistically as she continued to stare into Kari's fury filled eyes. She licked TK's blood off her index finger and then licked her lips. Kari felt sick as she watched her foe, knowing the devil Digimon was hurting her boyfriend just to taunt and upset her. Ladydevimon then placed the sharp point of her left index finger on Kari's left cheek.

"Now behave yourself," the evil Digimon ordered as she ran her finger down to Kari's jaw line. The cut she had created began bleeding straightaway and the crimson fluid mixed with the brunette girl's earlier tears. Kari replied in kind by punching the demon square on the nose.

TK gasped again as Ladydevimon pulled his head right back and placed her index finger against his left temple. Kari flinched and let her fist drop to her side. If she continued to fight then it would only make things worse for her and TK. However, it was already too late. Her eyes opened wide in horror and tears streamed from them once more as she watched her nemesis' finger slowly move down TK's face.

Ladydevimon's claw cut down the left side of TK's face from his temple, between his ear and eye, down his cheek and to his jaw line. Blood flowed freely from the shallow gash and the evil demon held the blonde boy's head so the fluid of life dripped on to Kari's face. Kari started to shake as her breath caught in her throat. The images imprinted in her brain from the final battle with Neodevimon flashed into her mind. It was the image of TK lying bloodied and motionless on the Plateau of Infinity Mountain after he was caught by Neodevimon's claw while trying to save her. The cut Ladydevimon had just placed down TK's face was parallel to the scar from that battle. This was Kari's worst nightmare coming true.

TK growled as his own rage started to reach its limits. His eyes narrowed as he tried to keep his mind focused on finding a way to escape while making sure Kari wasn't hurt further. He gasped as Ladydevimon used her right hand, which was still gripping his hair, to force him to face her. She licked the blood off his face with one long and exaggerated movement of her tongue. TK's body tensed up as he felt the demonic vampire repeat her actions, licking up and down the cut and drinking his blood.

Ladydevimon stopped the movements of her tongue after a particularly loud explosion echoed across the battlefield as Imperialdramon and Lillymon continued to fight Skullsatamon. The demon Digimon laughed sadistically as she gazed into TK's eyes. "You really do taste good for someone who is made of light. I wonder what your girlfriend tastes like."

The female devil then turned her attention to Kari and licked the blood up from her wound too. She dragged her tongue across the shaking brunette's cheek several times to make sure she got a good taste. She stopped after a few seconds so she could gaze mockingly into Kari's eyes again. "You taste surprisingly good too."

The twisted and sadistic actions of her nemesis had snapped Kari out of her shock and rekindled the rage inside her. She was still shaking from the horror of the nightmare she was living but her fists clenched again. Her eyes narrowed once more as she gritted her teeth. Kari was now determined to kill the bitch with her own hands.

"Ladydevimon, what happens when you come into contact with energy from the Crests of Hope and Light?" TK asked in a low and venomous tone.

Ladydevimon's only reply was to laugh mockingly at him. That brought a dry laugh from TK's lips. Kari echoed it as she realised what her boyfriend's plan was and she wondered why she hadn't thought of it. Both TK and Kari laughed again in unison.

"Let me tell you," TK spoke dryly as he continued. "At the very least it will hurt you. It will bind your eyes and block your ability to sense the powers of things that are light and dark. That alone will force you to release us, but we are capable of so much more. If we use the power that has recently been flowing through our bodies then I bet we could kill you with our own hands."

Ladydevimon laughed at the idea again. "I doubt you can use the power of your crests in this world. After all, the laws of physics are different here compared to those of the Dark World or the Digital World."

Uncharacteristically vengeful and evil grins formed on both TK's and Kari's lips as they realised they could punish the demon for torturing them in the way she just did. It was Kari who replied to her nemesis in a taunting tone. "Let's find out. Your body is against ours so it should be easy for us to force our light into you."

Kari and TK closed their eyes and began focusing on the light inside them. Their recent enforced practicing of the summoning of their powers by Dragomon made it easy for them to quickly power up their light. Kari's body started to glow a pink tinted light as TK glowed a radiant gold. The energy from their crests quickly combined to form a brilliant white light. Magnaangemon and Angewomon both started glowing with the same light.

Ladydevimon gasped in pain as the light forced her to back off, releasing TK and Kari. TK quickly rolled off Kari and grabbed Ladydevimon's left arm with both of his hands. Kari did the same thing to her nemesis' right arm to make sure she didn't get away. The demon took to the air, trying to shake them off.

TK placed his left hand on Ladydevimon's face and readied himself to finish the battle. Kari placed her right hand on top of her boyfriend's and together they forced the power from their crests out of their bodies and into Ladydevimon. The demon screaming in agony as the light energy dissolved her face and arms. Her headless body fell limply to the floor before shattering into data.

The rest of the Digidestined and the Digimon all watched in shock as TK and Kari dropped to the ground and landed on their feet with a cat-like elegance. Even Skullsatamon was staring at the unexpected sight before him. He gazed at the Digidestined of Hope and Light with a fearful expression etched on his face. The skeleton Digimon snapped out of his shock as Kari and TK slowly turned to face him. He didn't want them to kill him and he knew he couldn't beat either Magnaangemon or Angewomon if they digivolved to their mega forms. Skullsatamon knew from the energy radiating from the two angels that they could digivolve at any second. He wisely turned and quickly formed a black mist around his body. The dark energy opened a porthole to the Dark World and allowed him to escape.

TK and Kari watched the last remaining demon flee before they turned to face one another. Their tears flowed freely, mixing with the blood that covered their cheeks. The couple wrapped their arms around each other and entered into a tight embrace. TK rested his right hand on the back of Kari's head and placed his left arm around her back. Kari slid both of her arms around TK's back as she rested her head on his shoulder. TK placed his cheek against the side of Kari's head as the couple stood there with their light still shining brightly.

The bond formed between Kari and TK by their light allowed them to exchange their feelings in a way neither of them could fully describe. It was almost telepathic and certainly not normal for any human, but they definitely were not normal. The bond exchanged their gratitude, apologies, fears and, most of all, their love in a way that meant they didn't need to speak. They remained in their embrace with their bodies flush against one another's as the light emanating from them slowly began to die down.

The connection between their minds weakened as the light faded. It had allowed them to communicate enough so that they didn't need to speak about the events that had just happened. The bond left them with only one thing that they felt they had to say. The couple spoke the words in unison as the last bit of their light receded back into their bodies. "I love you."

A silence hung over the battlefield as the present Digidestined and Digimon all stared in shock at what they had just seen. It was Davis who was the first to snap back to reality and he spoke the words that were on everyone's mind. "What the heck just happened? Did they actually delete Ladydevimon by themselves?"

"We need to get out of here," Izzy added as his mind broke out of his shock. He quickly thought over what would happen if they stayed any longer and decided he didn't want to face the police and the associated questioning. "The police will be on their way so let's go."

The rest of the Digidestined snapped into action. Davis broke up TK and Kari as the Digimon reverted to their normal forms. Izzy picked up Tentomon and Yolei did the same to Hawkmon before the group all sprinted away down the path. They left Odaiba Park as a smouldering, crater filled battlefield.

Several people stepped out of the bushes and finally let their cameras drop to their sides. These agents had filmed everything and their leader, a tall blonde man, appeared rather happy about it. The men and women walked into what had just been a warzone and placed their cameras back to their eyes to capture the devastation.

* * *

"So we're now fighting a war on two fronts?" Tai growled as he finished listening to the rendition of the battle which he had not been a part of. The Digidestined had called an emergency meeting at Izzy's apartment straight after the skirmish that occurred one hour earlier. All of them were now present and had extremely concerned expressions on their faces.

Tai's fists were clenched and he wanted to get revenge on Daemon for sending Ladydevimon to hurt Kari and TK. Seeing the two younger teens with blood on their faces had reminded him of the aftermath of the final battle with Neodevimon. It reminded him of when he saw Kari covered in blood, some of it was her own but most of it belong to TK, staring through the window at her boyfriend as doctors tried to save his life. The sights and smells of that day still haunted his nightmares. Tai knew Matt felt the same way as he did. He could tell by the way his best friend was tense up and Sora was having to calm him.

Tai glanced over at his sister. Kari and TK were holding on to one another as if their lives depended on it. The recent events associated with the Dark World meant that was actually in many ways true and their lives were in each other's hands. Tai knew that if one of them died then the other would probably be dead shortly after. That thought sent a chill up his spine. He could also tell that the couple were very upset and had been really rattled by Ladydevimon's horrific actions.

Joe had cleaned and patched up both TK and Kari as soon as he had arrived at Izzy's apartment. He had come prepared after Izzy had told him what happened. The student doctor had lifted most of the fears of the group by confirming that the cuts weren't really deep enough to need stitches and that his younger friends would make a full recovery. However, the one thing Joe couldn't heal was everyone's shaken nerves.

"It seems so," Izzy sighed as he reluctantly answered Tai's earlier question.

"At least we now know who is responsible for all the recent murders and hopefully we've stopped them," Davis clenched his fist triumphantly.

Ken sighed as he shook his head. "I'm not so sure. They did say that Dragomon was also sending creatures here to find us, which means we can't rule out the Deep Ones yet. After all, the Deep Ones said that they were coming for us during my last nightmare."

"We will find out tonight," Matt grimaced at the idea of having to wait to see if the real culprits had been stopped earlier. "If the murders continue then they are committed by Dragomon's army."

"That might not be the case," Cody disagreed as he thought about it. "Daemon's army will be larger than the group that was battled earlier. He could easily send more forces to continue the atrocities that are going on."

"The only way we'll know for sure is if one of us ends up in the right place at the right time to stop these murders," Izzy sighed. He knew the chances of that happening were slim and that people were dying because the Digidestined still had no way of stopping the attacks.

"Who cares about who is committing these murders? All that matters is that we stop them. We have to do something," Mimi protested and received several nods of agreement from other members of the group.

"But there is nothing we can do," Tentomon reminded her. "We still don't know when an attack will occur until it is happening."

"And that is too late," Yolei groaned in frustration. "Everyone in the area will be dead by the time we get there."

"We need some ..." Tai was about to suggest an idea but was abruptly cut off.

Kari screamed in pain and gripped on to TK so tightly that she was nearly bear hugging him. TK groaned in pain too as he clenched his eyes shut. Ken also gasped as he held his head in both of his hands. Yolei and Davis quickly placed their hands on the purple haired boy's shoulders as they realised what was happening.

"It's the darkness!" Gatomon yelled as a mixture of panic and fear formed on everyone's faces.

TK placed both of his hands on either side of Kari's head. He then placed his own forehead against his girlfriend's as she slid her fingers into his blonde hair. It was clear to everyone that they were in agony from their sharp gasps for air and the expressions written across their faces. Their teeth were clenched and their eyes were tightly shut.

A bright light suddenly erupted from both TK and Kari, flooding the room. The other Digidestined and all the Digimon, except for Patamon and Gatomon, were forced to shield their eyes and turn their backs to their friends. TK and Kari forced the power from their crests into one another's bodies for the second time that day to fight off the darkness. Ken screamed out in pain as the light continued to intensify.

After ten seconds or so, the light began to slowly die down as the energy gradually receded back into Kari's and TK's bodies. They were both panting heavily as they pulled each other back into a tight embrace. The others finally reopened their eyes and focused on the couple who were now kneeling there in one another's arms. The couple's expressions of pain had changed to looks of relief, telling the group that they had successfully fended off the latest attack.

Ken slumped back against the wall of Izzy's bedroom and rubbed his temples. He was breathing heavily too and was trying to easy the remaining throbbing in his head. The light from his friends had stopped the attack on him from the darkness as well, but their power had also hurt him. It had temporarily blinded his sixth sense in a rather painful way.

"Are you ok?" Yolei asked her boyfriend as she placed both her hands on either side of his head. She stared into his eyes with a mixture of panic, concern and desperation. Her hands could feel him trembling ever so slightly.

"Yeah," Ken replied weakly. He placed his hands on top of Yolei's and forced a smile. "It was all so unexpected."

"Sorry," TK and Kari caught his attention as they knew what he meant. They were both giving their friend extremely apologetic looks.

"I guess we kind of forgot that light can hurt you just as much as darkness does," Kari added sheepishly before she sighed.

"It's ok," Ken offered them an understanding smile as he glanced over at them. "It stopped the darkness from attacking me so really I should be thanking you."

"Do either of you have any control over your powers?" Yolei asked with her concern still present in her tone. She stared at TK and Kari and waited for an answer.

The couple shifted awkwardly and glanced at each other. They returned their focus to Yolei before TK replied. "Kind of. We seem to be able to call on it when we need it. We can also sort of push it into one another or an opponent if we need to. It's really difficult to explain."

"But we can't control the amount of power that comes from our crests," Kari sighed again before she continued. "It just comes in one massive flood. We're trying our best to control it though."

Yolei pursed her lips and returned her focus to Ken. For once she managed not to speak her mind on something she felt passionately about because she knew it would cause a conflict in the group. She felt that TK and Kari needed more control over their powers otherwise it was endangering her boyfriend. In her mind they were being reckless.

"I assume that means Dragomon has found out about the battle with Ladydevimon and Skullsatamon," Ken hypothesised as he placed an arm around Yolei.

"Yeah," Tai groaned as he ran the fingers of his right hand through his wild brown hair. "I guess he's becoming more and more desperate to capture you three."

* * *

The lights were off in Kari's bedroom. Patamon and Gatomon were curled up together in the top right corner of the bed and Kari lay with TK under the pink covers. The teen girl was lying on her side with her nose buried in TK's neck and her chin on his right shoulder. TK lay on his back with his cheek resting against the top of his girlfriend's head. The couples arms were tightly wrapped around each other.

It was past midnight and the two Digidestined still hadn't been able to get to sleep. The horrors from earlier in the day kept replaying over and over in their minds. It was way too close for comfort and they knew a more ruthless opponent wouldn't have given them the opportunity to use their light to escape. They had trained to stop something like that from happening again but in the end only luck had allowed them to escape with just a few scratches. It reminded them that every moment could be their last in a situation like this.

Kari couldn't get rid of the immense feeling of guilt in her stomach. She knew that Ladydevimon had hurt TK because of her. Kari wondered if her boyfriend would have been injured if she hadn't decided to try and fend off her nemesis with those kicks and punches. Ladydevimon only started to wound him after she had begun to fight back. The evidence was irrefutable in her mind, although she knew TK probably saw it differently.

The brunette teen had already burst into tears several times, blaming herself for the injuries TK had received. She had managed to hold back her tears while she was around the others, but they flooded out as soon as she and TK were alone. TK's shoulders and chest were still damp from her tears, as he had calmed her down and comforted her at least three times since they had gone to bed. The memories from the final battle with Neodevimon kept flowing through her mind and mixing with the events from the earlier fight with Ladydevimon. She felt like she had done it again. Kari felt that TK had ended up hurt because of her once again.

Tears began to well up once more in the brunette teen's already sore auburn eyes. She started sniffling again as she tightened her grip on TK. She was so frightened of losing him during one of the battles that was probably going to happen in the near future. Kari didn't know how she would cope if she lost her love. She doubted that she would be able to carry on living, especially if it was her fault.

"Hey, Kari. It's alright. There's no need to cry," TK spoke softly as Kari's tears broke loose from her eyes and flowed on to his neck. He placed the palm of his right hand on the back of her head and gently stroked her silky brown hair in a comforting manner. "Everything is alright."

Kari's sobs only became louder. She just couldn't understand why TK was being so nice to her. It was her fault that they were hurt. She felt that he should be scolding her for it, not being so gentle and kind to her. TK then placed a kiss on her forehead, making her wonder if he was the only person in the world who could still love someone after they nearly got them killed twice.

Patamon and Gatomon glanced at Kari once more with caring expressions on their faces. The two Digimon were huddled together at the top of the teen girl's bed. They had tried to help TK stop Kari from crying earlier but they had failed as well. Gatomon was quite upset about it herself. She had blamed herself for the injuries to try and make Kari feel better. That was something Patamon had protested about and he tried to blame himself for not helping more. It hadn't really helped Kari thought. She still kept saying that TK was injured because she had fought back against Ladydevimon.

"It's alright, Kari," TK reminded her in his caring tone once again. He continued to stroke her hair with his hand. "There was nothing you could have done."

"It's all my fault, TK," Kari cried as the stream of tears from her eyes flooded on to the blonde teen's neck and shoulder. "If I hadn't fought back ... back against Ladydevimon then ... then you wouldn't have ... have been hurt."

"Kari," TK replied with a hint of frustration and pain creeping into his soft voice. "You know that isn't true."

"It is," Kari sobbed as her annoyance entered her tone. She just couldn't understand why he wasn't blaming her for it. At the very least, she felt he should know it was her fault. "And things are only going to get worse. It's all because of me."

"Kari," TK tried to calm his girlfriend by placing another soft kiss on her forehead. It was hurting him to see Kari so upset. He hated seeing her cry and he would do anything to cheer her up. However, he was now running out of ideas to stop her from crying. He had managed to calm her down several times but it was only temporary as she had burst out in tears again only a short time later.

"The battle earlier reminded me that every day could be our last and that if I make a mistake I could get you killed," Kari replied bleakly and honestly. "Given the current situation, we could end up in a battle tomorrow and that could be our last. Everything is slowly getting worse and worse."

TK, Patamon and Gatomon all sighed in unison. They knew that what Kari was saying was the truth. It was a truth that all of them wished wasn't real and that they could go back to the ignorance which they had only a few weeks ago before the nightmares began. However, it was a truth all four of them had accepted and they were willing to face it. They were ready to fight when the time came, no matter what the dangers were.

"It has always been like that," TK sighed again. He was getting more and more frustrated with Kari. It was blatantly obvious she was feeling guilty about what had happened even though it wasn't her fault. It was Ladydevimon's fault he was hurt and TK needed to make Kari understand that.

"But this time ..." Kari sobbed and choked on her tears. "This time ..."

"Kari, stop it," TK cut his girlfriend off with his stern words. They showed the pain and frustration her tears were causing him. Her cries paused as he quickly rolled the brunette teen on to her back and climbed on top of her.

TK stared straight into Kari's glittering eyes. Even though the room was dark, he could still see the guilt in her sore orbs. She could see the seriousness in his gaze too. The couple stared into one another's eyes as TK wiped the tears off his girlfriend's cheeks. He was going to make her understand that there was nothing she could have done and that it wasn't her fault. TK was going to remind her that his love was unconditional and that him being hurt had not changed that fact.

The blonde boy cupped Kari's cheeks in his hands and felt the fresh tears flow silently out of her eyes as he spoke. "I would have done the same thing in that situation. Who knows what Ladydevimon would have done to me if you hadn't fought back against her like you did. I don't really want to think about what she was planning to do to me. You saved me from her. So thanks, Kari. Thank you for saving me."

Kari sobbed and she choked on her words again. Her tears continued to stream from her eyes as she tried to reply. "I didn't ... save you. I'm.. so ... sorry. I ..."

TK cut her off again by pressing his lips up against hers. There was no chance he was going to let her apologise to him like this for something that was not her fault. He closed his eyes and passionately kissed his girlfriend. She had to understand that he still loved her, no matter how she felt about the earlier battle.

To TK's relief she began kissing back just as passionately as he was kissing her. TK let his actions speak louder than his words to make her understand that she shouldn't feel guilty. Their lips glided back and forth over each other's in a perfectly synchronised show of love for one another. TK ignored the flavour of the tears that had reached his girlfriend's lips as he continued.

The kiss continued for several minutes, during which TK could feel Kari relaxing. He noticed that her tears had stopped, but he continued the kiss just because he could. Eventually TK felt Kari had calmed down enough to hear and understand what he was wanting to tell her. He broke the kiss and opened his eyes so he could stare into Kari's.

"You don't need to apologise for what happened earlier," TK's tone reflected the serious expression still in his eyes. "Ladydevimon could have severely injured you when you fought back against her. She could have easily killed you for it. You risked your life in an attempt to save me. I have to thank you for that, Kari."

"TK," Kari paused. She was unsure of how she should reply to him. "Then I have to thank you for risking your life for me too. It was you who used your body to shield me from that psycho bitch."

TK smiled because he knew the guilt his girlfriend was feeling was finally evaporating away. "You know I couldn't go on if you weren't in my life. My love for you is completely unconditional and I'll do anything to keep you safe."

"You know I feel the same way about you," Kari replied as she somewhat accepted TK's view of the earlier events. "My love for you is unconditional as well, TK."

"I know," TK gazed lovingly into his girlfriend's eyes. "That's why we are both willing to get hurt to make sure one another is safe. A scratch here or a bruise there is nothing because we kept each other safe. We are still alive and that's what matters."

"You're right," Kari sighed as a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

TK's smile grew with his victory. He had finally made Kari see his view and made her understand that she had nothing to feel guilty about. The blonde boy rolled on to his side and pulled Kari towards him. She willingly returned his embrace by holding on to him tightly. The couple eventually drifted off to sleep in one another's arms, being thankful that they still had each other.

* * *

Hopefully that chapter wasn't too dark for you and you enjoyed reading it. It is probably going to be the darkest battle in this story. Please let me know what you think by leaving a review =D


	11. The Right Place at the Right Time

**Chapter 11: The Right Place at the Right Time**

Hi everybody and greetings from snowy England. Thanks for the amazing reviews of the last chapter. I'm glad you all liked the bit where Kari punched Ladydevimon. It was good to know because she's going to have a few more moments like that later on.

I forgot to mention at the end of the last chapter that this chapter is going to be focused on Tai, Matt and Sora. I decided it was about time I featured them a bit more and plant a few seeds to get them into the story on a regular basis later on.

I don't own Digimon or any other copyrighted things I mention in this story. I'd own Pepsi if I did ...

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Tai set his beer bottle and Agumon's glass of Pepsi down on the brushed aluminium table outside the seafront bar. The wild haired young man took his seat between Matt and Agumon. Tai, Matt and Sora had decided to meet up for a chat at this bar to discuss the battle the others were involved in during the previous day. Biyomon and Gabumon had joined Sora and Matt too and they, along with Agumon, were wearing long coats to disguise themselves.

The Sun was setting over the edge of the horizon and the warm summer temperatures were starting to drop. The streets, bars and restaurants of the city were rather empty compared to normal as more and more people chose to stay inside. The population of Tokyo were all frightened by the recent attacks and most of them had decided to stay where it was safe. There had been another attack during the previous night, despite the Digidestined defeating Ladydevimon and the small army of Devidramon and Phantomon that she was with.

"How are TK and Kari doing?" Matt asked with his concern for his brother clear in his tone. TK had tried to brush off the seriousness of his injuries when Matt had spoken to him on the phone earlier. As a result, the older sibling wanted to know how his younger brother was doing from someone who had seen him. "How are they coping with what happened during the battle yesterday?"

Tai sighed and ran his right hand through his wild brown hair. He had stayed at his home instead of at his university accommodation during the previous night to keep an eye on the two younger teens. "Where should I begin?"

"Is it clearly effecting them?" Matt frowned as his worry only deepened. It was typical of TK and Kari to try to shrug off or hide their feelings about things as serious as that battle.

"The short answer is yes," the young brunette man replied bleakly. "It was rather obvious when they woke up this morning."

"What do you mean?" Sora's concern was obvious as well. She and Matt squeezed one another's hands in a gesture of support.

"Erm ... well," Tai scratched the back of his head before deciding on what to tell his friends. "They looked like they didn't get any sleep last night. They are clearly shaken and upset by what happened and they couldn't really hide it for once."

"I'm not surprised," Matt sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "They were forced to live through another nightmare. They seem to be doing that a lot recently."

"How did your parents react when you got home?" Sora asked before she pursed her lips. She knew that Tai and Kari's mother had probably freaked out when she saw the state of Kari and TK. Any parent would freak out if their child came home injured with their clothes torn and covered in blood.

"Not very well," Tai replied bluntly. He didn't need to be tactful with that answer because it was obvious his parents were going to worry. "They were horrified to put it simply. I had to explain everything too because Kari was on the verge of tears when she and TK tried to tell my Mom and Dad what had happened. TK even struggled and choked on his words. Kari tried her best to hide how she felt from my parents but I heard her start crying as soon as she went to bed and I think TK spent most of the night comforting her."

Sora took a deep breath and glanced between Matt and Tai. "That isn't good. TK normally can explain those sort of things without his emotions getting the better of him."

"Yeah, I know. Fortunately Gatomon and Patamon helped me out," Tai took a sip of his beer before continuing. "It also helped that the only injuries that they had were the scratches from Ladydevimon's claws, nothing life threatening."

"Did they actually get any sleep last night?" Matt asked as he gazed at his best friend, hoping for a positive answer. A few hours sleep could have made a big difference to how they felt in the morning.

"I know I didn't get to sleep until Kari stopped crying," Tai's voice was laced with the emotional pain he felt at hearing his sister's sobs. "As I said, I think TK, Patamon and Gatomon tried to comfort her several times. They succeeded for a while, but then after half an hour she would start crying again. TK would comfort her and the cycle would begin all over again. It continued until at least midnight, which was when I think they finally calmed her down. So you can imagine how my parents felt in the morning and it didn't help when Kari and TK said something to make things worse."

Matt and Sora paused for a moment to think about what the two younger teens could have told Kari's parents. Matt finally answered with his worry ever more present in his tone. "I don't think I'm going to like what they said, am I?"

Tai sighed and ran his hand through his hair again. "I didn't. They said that the battle made them realise that the current situation means that any moment could be their last and they were going to make the most of every minute they spent together. Then Kari bluntly said that things were getting worse and that they were lucky to still be alive."

Matt's gaze dropped and he stared at the floor. He knew it was the truth but he wished it wasn't. It was a harsh truth that applied to all of the Digidestined and Digimon. They needed to do something to fight back otherwise more of their nightmares could become real.

"At least they are facing the truth and being realistic," Gabumon tried his best to put a positive spin on what Tai had just told the group.

"Kari and TK have been through more at the age of sixteen than most people go through in their entire lives," Sora sighed as she stared off into the distance. "All of us Digidestined and our Digimon have."

"That's too true," Tai replied as he and the others all nodded in agreement. "And it looks like we're going to be going through more because the attacks didn't stop last night."

"I guess that means Dragomon and the Deep Ones are the most likely faction behind these attacks," Matt thought aloud as he glanced out over the Pacific Ocean. He hoped that he would never see Dragomon rising out of it with his army.

"They are the prime suspects," Tai nodded in agreement. "However, there is still a chance that the attacks are coming from Daemon's army."

"I guess we are still in the position where we have to catch the culprits committing the murders to be certain it is them," Sora sighed and gazed down at the floor. "Even then, both factions could still be behind the attacks."

"We won't be able to stop the attacks even if we do find out," Tai growled in frustration as he clenched his fists. "Not without a major slice of luck or everyone staying up and patrolling the streets twenty four hours a day."

"We could never manage that," Biyomon spoke the words that were on everyone's mind.

"We could get Noriko and the rest of the children that had dark spores to help," Agumon suggested as he stroked his chin in thought.

"We still wouldn't have enough numbers," Tai sighed once more before taking another drink from his beer. "And their Digimon can't digivolve past the champion level. They might not be able to fend off an attack without us being there."

"That is a good point," Sora nodded in agreement. "But we need all the help we can get. Besides, Veemon, Wormmon, Hawkmon and Armadillomon can't reach the ultimate level either without their DNA digivolution partners."

Tai paused for a moment and stroked his chin as he thought. "I'll have a word with Noriko to ask if she and her group are willing to help us. Unfortunately, it still won't make much of a difference."

"What about the other Digidestined from around the world?" Gabumon offered his suggestion. "We could invite them here. Then we would have enough of us to protect Tokyo."

"In theory it would work but there are too many problems for it to actually work in practice," Matt sighed and took a sip of his drink.

"Yeah," Tai nodded in agreement. "Imagine the reaction of the general public to all the Digimon walking around with their Digidestined partners. We would end up getting blamed for the murders. It would mean that we'd be locked up in prison and then we wouldn't be able to stop the attacks or save anyone."

"And that doesn't even take into account the logistics of having every Digidestined in the world here in Tokyo," Sora added as she thought about it. "There wouldn't be enough places for them all to stay. We would have to book several hundred thousand hotel rooms for weeks if not months."

"And what if the attacks spread to other parts of the world?" Matt thought of a third point. "If all of the Digidestined in the world were here then nobody would be left to protect everywhere else. A worldwide invasion would then be easy."

"We could do with more Japanese Digidestined," Tai pursed his lips as he paused for a moment. "You know, I'm surprised there haven't been any new Japanese Digidestined turn up since we defeated Malomyotismon."

"There hasn't been any need for new Digidestined and chosen Digimon until now," Biyomon replied, getting the attention of the group. "Neodevimon was the only problem in the last five years and TK and Kari just about dealt with him."

"That makes sense," Matt responded before placing the brown bottle in his hand to his mouth and taking another sip of his beer. "Why hire new people when the ones you already have can protect everything without any extra help?"

"Because of situations like this," Tai answered bluntly. "But even if there were more Digidestined, they wouldn't be any more powerful than Noriko's group. That means we would need hundreds of Digidestined to be able to create a successful defence."

"So like normal, the weight of two worlds rests on our shoulders," Matt pursed his lips and glanced at the others.

"That's because we're the best," Gabumon's confidence was clear in his tone as he glanced up at Matt.

"Which brings us back to the point," Tai sighed and let his hands fall to his lap in frustration. "We are the most powerful out of the Digidestined and even we can't do anything about these attacks from the Dark World. We also still can't do anything to use Kari and TK's new found powers to make much of a difference either."

The group slipped into silence as they all thought about their current predicament. The gloom lingered over them while they continued to sip on their drinks. They were the only people left outside now that the Sun had set over the horizon. Just about everyone else was fearing another monster attack and had headed inside for extra safety. So far only people who were outside at night had been murdered during the attacks. Even the barman had tried to get the group to go inside but they had refused, choosing to stay out in the cooling night air.

It wasn't long before the silence lifted and the group entered into a slightly more normal conversation about how their university studies had been since the whole Dark World problem had started. They paused that conversation as they noticed a tall blonde man, who was wearing a black suit, pass by them and enter the bar. The group kept an eye on him, finding it rather odd that he didn't seem as bothered about the attacks as everyone else did.

"I wonder why he's walking around like everything is normal?" Sora asked as a puzzled expression formed on her face. She watched as the guy ordered a drink before sitting at a table inside the bar.

"Maybe he has just finished work and wants a drink," Tai suggested with a shrug of his shoulders. "I guess not everyone is scared about what has been going on. I mean look at the guy behind the bar, he's still here. He'll also have to go home tonight."

"Is it me or does that guy in the suit look familiar?" Matt asked as he watched the guy out of the corner of his eye. His suspicion was clear in his tone.

"Now that you mention it," Sora replied as her eyes locked on to her boyfriend's. "I've seen quite a few people wearing those suits recently."

"It's probably just your imagination," Agumon waved it off before he finished his drink. He and the other Digimon suddenly sat up straight and stared off down the beach with worried expressions on their faces.

"No, it can't be. I recognise him too. I think I saw him at the weekend when I went to check on Kari and TK," Tai replied before he and the other humans shivered. He rubbed his arms before wrapping them around his body. He glanced at the others. "Did anyone else notice the temperature suddenly drop."

"Yes," Agumon replied in a serious tone. "I think that might have something to do with the source of darkness that has just entered this world."

The three Digidestined gasped in shock and glanced in the direction that their Digimon were staring in. They saw a thick mist rising out of the sand on the seafront. It was quickly growing in size, rolling out across the beach, the sea and up on to the road that ran parallel with the water's edge. The group began hearing strange murmuring noises coming from within the dense fog, telling them something was inside it.

"I'm betting that it is those creatures from the Dark World," Gabumon growled as he and the other Digimon stood up.

"We have to digivolve," Biyomon said as she was about to remove her coat.

"Wait!" Tai ordered and the Digimon glanced up at him. "Not here. There are too many people watching. Everyone in the bar will see you guys."

"Then where can we go?" Agumon asked. He was desperate to digivolve so he could teach these creatures a lesson for messing with his friends.

Tai, Matt and Sora glanced around, trying to find a more secluded spot. It was difficult with all the tower blocks lining the seafront like they did. There were a few side alleys but they were too tight for the Digimon to digivolve in. Time was running out as the fog began enveloping the tower blocks and several of the other bars and shops on the seafront.

"Let's go up on to the road and they can digivolve in the fog," Matt suggested as he pointed up the steps to the road. It was the only idea any of them could come up with. "At least that way they'll have the room to digivolve and not be seen."

"I guess that is the only option we have," Tai replied through gritted teeth. He didn't like the idea of having to enter the fog. He took a deep breath and ran for the steps. "Let's go!"

The others sprinted after him and up the concrete slab steps the road. The mist was nearly up on them and the group could feel that the temperature had dropped dramatically. It was nothing like the warm summer night that the weather forecast had predicted. The group readied themselves for the battle that was to come. The Digimon threw their coats to one side and entered fighting stances.

The fog kept growing in size and rolled its way along the road towards the Digidestined. The sounds coming from inside were getting louder and closer with every passing second. The group patiently waited with their fists clenched and eyes narrowed in anger. They were going to exact some revenge for the deaths that had occurred in these attacks and hopefully stop them all together.

"Digivolve on my command," Tai instructed as he unclipped his digivice from his belt. Matt and Sora did the same as the mist began surrounding their bodies.

It only took a few seconds for the dark cloud to completely envelop the Digidestined and Digimon. The visibility dropped dramatically and soon they couldn't even see the buildings around them. They heard several panicked screams come from the people in the bar that they had just left.

"Now!" Tai ordered as he thrust his old style white digivice in Agumon's direction. "Full power, Agumon! We'll teach these assholes a lesson."

Matt and Sora mimicked Tai's actions, thrusting their digivices in the direction of their partners too. Their digivices began to vibrate in their hands before light erupted from them. Tai's digivice turned orange before a beam of light burst out of the screen and engulfed Agumon.

"Agumon warp digivolve to ..." Agumon's body glowed the same orange as the light coming from Tai's digivice as he rapidly grew. Several horns protruded from his skull, one coming out of the end of his nose and two on either side of his head. His body changed shape several times before taking on the form of a humanoid dragon with bulging muscles. Silver armour covered his chest, shins and formed his helmet. A golden shield took shape on his back and the same coloured armour formed the gauntlets that covered his claws. The light died down and revealed the mega level Digimon. "... Wargreymon!"

"Gabumon warp digivolve to ..." Blue light surrounded Gabumon from Matt's similarly coloured digivice. The dog-like Digimon's body grew, changing shape several times before taking on the form of a wolf standing on all fours. He had large sharp claws at the end of each limb. Golden wings protruded from his back and were the same metal has his tail. They became tipped by energy blades as rocket launchers formed at the base of his wings. Metallic blue armour covered most of his body except for his underside, which was covered in golden armour with the pink and blue emblem that his rookie form possessed. "... Metalgarurumon!"

"Biyomon digivolve to Birdramon! Birdramon digivolve to ..." Red light erupted from Sora's digivice and surrounded Biyomon. The pink bird quickly grew into a massive humanoid bird with giant razor edged talons on the ends of her arms and legs. Two huge wings spread out from her back, which looked as if they could create the same wind force as a major storm. The light of digivolution died down to reveal the ultimate level Digimon's red feathers, red helmet and yellow talons. "... Garudamon!"

The two mega and one ultimate level Digimon stood in the fog staring towards its core. They could sense the dark creatures slowly making their way towards them. The three Digimon were now on a more level playing field with the heightened senses their digivolutions had given them. Metalgarurumon had a particular advantage in the thick cloud because the senses located on the end of his nose could detect everything in front of him.

"There's hundreds of smaller creatures," the metal wolf growled as several demonic red eyes began to appear in the fog. "There are also three larger creatures with them that I have never seen before. They seem to be coming out of a gateway at the centre of the fog."

"Can we do anything about this fog?" Matt asked as he glanced around. He couldn't see anything apart from Tai, Sora, the Digimon and the demonic red eyes slowly coming towards them.

"Leave that to me," Garudamon replied in a commanding tone. She began flapping her massive wings in the direction of the gateway that the creatures were coming out of. The gusts she created sent the shadow creatures flying backwards in the direction they had come from. The strong winds created by the humanoid bird started to clear the dark mist but it wasn't good enough on its own.

"Wargreymon, can you close that porthole?" Tai shouted as he shielded his face from the wind created by Garudamon.

"Piece of cake," Wargreymon replied before he jumped into the air. He placed both of his arms above his head and drew them back. A huge fireball formed between his hands, which he threw forwards at the area where the darkness was strongest. "Terra force!"

The fireball tore through the fog and exploded on contact with the ground. Blood curdling screams echoed out from within the cloud as a vast majority of the Deep One's within it were burnt alive. After a few seconds, the dark mist was noticeably easier for Garudamon to shift with the gusts from her wings and within a minute the fog was cleared. It revealed around fifty of the Deep One's and three ghost-like tiger Digimon but, most importantly to the Digidestined and their Digimon, the gateway from the Dark World was closed. There was a smouldering crater in the ground were the dark creatures were originally coming out from.

The Deep Ones quickly regrouped following an order from one of the three Digimon that appeared to be leading them. These large tiger Digimon landed between the chosen Digimon and the shadow creatures. Their demonic red eyes showed their evil intentions as they locked on to the Digidestined in front of them.

The Digimon were ghost-like sabre tooth tiger skeletons with dark energy following between their bones. They had large bone wings protruding from their backs which they used to fly and a long tail that they used for balance. Their large fangs and sharp claws looked like they could shred apart anything. The tiger-like ghosts were easily the same size as Metalgarurumon, if not taller.

"What the hell are those?" Sora asked with her fear clear in her quivering voice. It made Matt step in front of her and put his arm out protectively.

"Hold on, I'll find out," Tai said as he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his D-Terminal. He opened the Digimon identification software Izzy had installed on all of their D-Terminals and pointed the device in the direction of the skeletal monsters. "They are Skullbaluchimon. An un-dead Digimon that is void of emotions and attacks its opponents mercilessly until they or it are dead."

"Ones of Courage, Friendship and Love, give us the Queen of Light or we will destroy you and your world," the leading Skullbaluchimon ordered in a cold and emotionless tone that sent shivers down the spines of the Digidestined.

"No chance!" Tai yelled as he fought back his fear. "Leave Kari alone or I will make you, your friends and Dragomon pay!"

"You will give us the Queen of Light or you will die," the Skullbaluchimon replied in his emotionless tone. "Give us the One of Hope too so we can use him to turn the Queen of Light to darkness. She will become our Queen and the tender to our army. Her power will turn the tide in our war with that traitor, the Demon of Wrath."

"Never!" Matt and Tai shouted back in unison. They clenched their fists and gritted their teeth. Pure rage replace their earlier fear as both teens were ready to fight.

"And you, One of Courage. You will come with us too so Metalseadramon can have his revenge," the Skullbaluchimon finished.

"If he wants revenge then he can come here and find me," Tai spat back venomously as his eyes narrowed further and locked on to the red demonic eyes of the ghost tiger. He attempted to stare down the dark emotionless monster. He drew a deep breath and clenched his fists tighter. "Get them."

"Grace cross freezer!" Metalgarurumon roared the name of his attack as he took to the air. The missile bays around his body opened and fired the freezing rockets straight towards the Skullbaluchimon.

"Wing blade!" Garudamon also jumped into the air as she powered up her main attack. A red energy formed around her body before she released it. This energy took on the shape of a bird as it homed in on the leader of her foes.

"Terra force!" Wargreymon threw another one of his fireballs straight at the Skullbaluchimon. The shadow skeleton Digimon tried to dodge the attacks coming towards them. Two of them just escaped the resulting explosion as the manoeuvres smashed into their leader. The Skullbaluchimon leader had no chance and was deleted instantly. The shockwaves from the explosion wiped out most of the Deep Ones as well as throwing debris out in all directions, creating a massive dust cloud.

The Digidestined and their Digimon waited for the cloud to settle before they made their next move. Suddenly the two remaining Skullbaluchimon burst out of the dust and flew straight at Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon. The dark energy inside their bodies had increased as they prepared their main attack.

"Deadly fear!" The tigers roared as they released dark shadows of themselves in direction of the chosen Digimon. The dark energy cascaded towards the two mega Digimon while the Skullbaluchimon veered off to their right to ensure they didn't enter a close range battle.

Metalgarurumon and Wargreymon corkscrewed off to the side as the dark energy only just missed them. Garudamon dived for the ground and landed in a protective position over the three Digidestined who were exposed on the street below. The two mega Digimon took up a defensive position in the air over Garudamon as their foes flew behind the fading dust cloud.

The cloud settled within a few seconds, revealing another massive crater where the attacks of the chosen Digimon had hit the road. There was rubble strewn everywhere. It had even damaged the nearby apartment blocks along the road. Fortunately none of the people living in them had been hurt.

The Skullbaluchimon were hovering over the few remaining Deep Ones. The shadow creatures were covered in dust and were clearly battered by the explosion. Some were holding injured limbs while others couldn't even stand. However, the glare in their demonic red eyes said that they were going to fight to the death and that they would never give up. The un-dead sabre toothed Skullbaluchimon had the same glare in their eyes as they readied themselves for the next exchange in the battle.

"Wargreymon, the right Skullbaluchimon is yours. Metalgarurumon, you go after the left one," Tai yelled his orders to the Digimon. He was determined that this battle was going to end right now. "Garudamon, finish off the last of the Deep Ones."

The Digimon all nodded in reply. Metalgarurumon and Wargreymon flew straight at their targets and powered up their attacks. Garudamon powered up the same attack she had used earlier, forming the red bird shaped energy around her body. At the same time Metalgarurumon aimed his missiles at his target. Wargreymon prepared for his next manoeuvre by spinning in the air, creating a tornado around his body.

"Wing blade!" Garudamon released her attack at the remained Deep Ones. The energy soared straight towards them at such speed that they never had a chance of escaping. The attack tore them apart before smashing into the ground, causing another explosion.

"Grace cross freezer!" Metalgarurumon launched his barrage of rockets at his foe. The Skullbaluchimon swerved off to its left, trying to avoid the attack but it failed. The missiles were locked onto him and tracking his path. They exploded on contact, ripping apart his skeletal body into nothing more than data.

"Great tornado!" Wargreymon flew straight at the remaining Skullbaluchimon with the tornado surrounding his body now at full power. The leading tip of the tornado pulled the ghostly tiger skeleton into the attack, which shredded it into nothing but pieces of dust floating around in the air.

The three chosen Digimon quickly surveyed the area around them to make sure that there were no other opponents left. After their search revealed that they and the city was now safe again for the moment, they landed back down on the road in front of their human partners. A bright light surrounded their bodies before the Digimon reverted back to their rookie forms.

"I think we should get out of here as quickly as possible," Matt said as the Digimon ran to their partners sides.

"Yeah," Tai nodded in agreement as he turned around and readied himself for a sprint home. "The cops will be on their way and we don't want to get caught."

The rest of the group nodded and they all sprinted off down the street towards Matt's apartment. They didn't notice the blonde man they had seen earlier walking up the steps from the bar as he filmed them and the aftermath of the battle with a handheld camera. He focused on them running off down the road before turning his camera to the smouldering craters. He had all the evidence he needed. He had the whole battle on his camera, the faces of those involved and a video of some more Digimon to go with those he had collected of TK and Kari and their Digimon over the last couple of weeks.

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So, what do you think this mysterious man is going to do with the video footage of the Digidestined? I'm curious about what you think he is planning. Also, what did you think to this chapter in general? Was focusing on Tai, Matt and Sora a nice change? Please let me know by leaving a review =D


	12. Agents Part 1

**Chapter 12: Agents Part 1**

Hi everybody. Thank you for the reviews of the last chapter. They always keep me motivated and I appreciate every review I get. It was also interesting to find out what you all thought the blonde guy in the suit was going to do ... well you're going to find out in this and the next few chapters.

As you already know, I don't own Digimon or any other copyrighted things I mention in this story. If I did own Digimon then Gomamon would become a DJ. I don't know why ... he just would be.

I think there are two more important things I should mention before I start this chapter. The first is that this isn't a crossover between the Adventure seasons and other Digimon seasons. I'll explain more about that in my author's notes the end. The second is to warn you that there is some mature content in the first scene of this chapter.

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The bright morning sunlight radiated through TK's bedroom window. TK and Kari were both in their underwear and getting ready for school while half-watching the news on the TV. They had woken an hour early so that they could go for a walk along the seafront before their classes began. Patamon and Gatomon were watching TV in the living area of the apartment, letting their human partners get ready in private. It was a morning for the early birds as TK's mother had gone into work early too.

TK turned off the flat screen TV in his bedroom after he and Kari listened to yet another morning news report on the previous nights murders. Tai, Matt and Sora's battle with the Deep One's two days ago hadn't stopped the killings. The only thing keeping the number of deaths down was the advice from the police and government to the population of Tokyo. Everyone was being advised to stay inside after dark because the monsters had not entered any buildings to kill people yet.

Kari was standing in front of TK's mirror as she inspected the cut on her face. The injuries she and TK had received from Ladydevimon were healing fine, even the deeper gash down TK's back. However, the mental effects of the battle were still obvious. It was obvious to anyone who knew them that she and TK were still holding one another a lot more tightly than normal and they were afraid of letting one another go.

TK put his white school shirt down and walked over to his girlfriend. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. Her body fitted snugly against his as he pulled her smooth back up against his scarred athletic chest. Kari placed her soft hands over TK's and she used the mirror to make eye contact with him. TK rested his left cheek on the side of the brunette's head when he saw the look on her face.

Their eyes remained locked on each other's as TK read what Kari was thinking. He could see the events of that battle with Ladydevimon were still playing on her mind. There was still an element of guilt showing in her auburn orbs but there was more to it than that. TK could tell that Kari was frightened about what had happened and that she was scared of what was coming. He was frightened about it too but he knew he had to be strong to keep Kari strong. He was under no illusions, being a Digidestined in the current situation meant that today could be his last day.

"We were nearly on that list of people killed during these attacks," Kari spoke her thoughts in a bleak manner. "We would have been a number in a statistic and the world wouldn't have known that we were the main target of the attackers."

TK sighed and kissed his girlfriend on her cheek. He held her tightly as he thought over his reply. "It was a close shave but we survived and we're ok. I'm still here and you're still here."

Kari sighed and glanced down at the floor to think over her words. She had been having problems trying to express how she felt about the battle with her nemesis because she became upset every time the images from that fight entered her mind. The teen girl knew that TK understood how she felt but she still wanted to express her feelings in words and actions to help get them off her mind. She gulped and built up her confidence, knowing that she could trust her boyfriend to always say the right things to make her feel better about the situation they were in.

"It's more than that, TK," Kari's voice was shaky as she replied. Her gaze left the floor and returned to the mirror, which she used to stare into those hope filled sapphire orbs of her lover once again. "You know what it is like to relive a nightmare. I thought that you were going to die while trying to protect me. You were hurt trying to protect me. You were hurt because of me ... again."

"I told you that it wasn't your fault," TK's words were spoken softly but with a stern undertone. His eyes reflected the seriousness in his voice as his gaze met Kari's in the mirror once more. "You couldn't have done anything about it and I'm proud of the way you fought back against Ladydevimon. You stopped her from doing whatever she was planning to do to me."

"It scares me, TK," Kari continued in her shaky tone as she tightened her grip on his hands. "I'm frightened that you might get injured worse than that. I'm scared that you might die and I know that I wouldn't be able to go on without you."

TK stiffened slightly as he pursed his lips. "You know I feel the same way about you. I couldn't live without you. That is why I have to protect you and that's why you have to protect me. We fight these battles to keep each other and everyone we care about safe."

Kari heard her boyfriend sigh and he tightened his grip as she replied. "But what Ladydevimon did to you was horrible. It brought back the memories of the battle with Neodevimon. I could smell and taste your blood. I never wanted to be in that position again. It was horrible. It made me sick to my stomach. It still makes me feel sick even now after a few days have passed."

Kari released TK's hands and spun around in his arms so she could stare into his eyes without using the mirror. Her arms wrapped around his neck as TK placed his right hand on her cheek. The couple gazed into one another's eyes, reading each other's feelings to gauge what they should say next in this rather difficult and delicate conversation.

"I'm frightened too. It is impossible not to be," TK responded honestly. The tone of his next words showed his confidence and belief in what he was telling the beautiful brunette teen in his arms. "But don't worry. We will survive. I'm still alive because of you. You carried me to safety after the battle with Neodevimon despite your injuries and you even gave your blood to me to stop me from bleeding to death in the ambulance. You also saved me from whatever Ladydevimon had planned in that battle on Monday by fighting back against her. We will keep each other safe and we will survive this. Have hope, Kari."

A smile found its way to Kari's lips as she felt TK's confidence remove some of her fears. He could always calm her worries and stop her doubts with his hope, confidence and belief that things would always turn out for the best. It was one of the infinite number of reasons way she needed and loved him.

"I do have hope," Kari chuckled as her smile grew. She noticed TK returning the smile as she continued. "I have a huge shining beacon of hope standing in front of me. At times he literally is a shining beacon of hope in an ocean of darkness. I know it sounds corny but it is true. I can do anything as long as I have my hope with me. Takeru, you already know that I love you more than I can fully describe with words."

Kari closed her eyes and quickly placed her lips up against TK's, giving him no chance to reply. She felt him open his mouth slightly as he began to return the kiss. Every fibre of Kari's body was urging her to express her love for her boyfriend and to demonstrate just how much he meant to her. The brunette teen slowly pulled her lips back from her lover's before opening them wider and pushing forwards for more. The couple repeated those movements in perfect synchronicity over and over, deepening the kiss with every moment of their mouths. Their passion was overflowing as they let their burning desires take over. TK used his right hand on Kari's cheek to keep her lips against his as Kari ran her hands through his blonde hair and forced his lips into hers.

The couple willingly slid their tongues into each other's mouths as their hearts pounded away in their chests. The adrenaline and hormones flooding around Kari's body made her think only of her boyfriend as she continued the French kiss. The brunette girl knew that she was lucky she was with him. She knew that they were both lucky to be alive after everything they had been through. Nobody else could truly understand what they had gone through together. Kari remembered their conversation about making the most of their time together and decided that it was the perfect moment to do just that. She wanted to make the most of her time with TK by expressing her love for him because she was frightened that they might not have the same chance tomorrow. It was also a perfect way for her to show her gratitude to her hero, best friend and lover all rolled into one.

TK clearly wanted to express his love for her too, taking the passionate dance of their entwined tongues as a cue to take the show of affection to the next level. He used his left hand to pull down Kari's apple green lace underwear before removing his own white boxers. He then unclipped her bra and let the garment hang loosely between their bodies. TK suddenly broke the kiss and scooped Kari up into his arms, making her squeal with pleasant surprise. She took the opportunity to throw her bra to one side as he carried her over to his bed. The blonde teen gently placed her down on his bedcovers before climbing on top of her.

The couple restarted their passionate kissing as their hands roamed one another's bodies. Their desire and need for each other fuelled the lovers' movements and thoughts. TK was determined to remind Kari that he was still ok after what had happened a few days ago. He was determined to show her that she shouldn't worry and that he would always be there for her. Kari was equally determined to express her gratitude and love for him.

"Forget that walk along the seafront. It can wait," TK's tone was serious and passionate as he broke the kiss again. He stared lovingly into Kari's auburn eyes as she smiled back at him.

"We said that we were going to make the most of our time together in case tomorrow becomes our last day," Kari replied in a playful yet somehow serious manner. "So I say we make the most of this opportunity presented to us right now."

TK placed his right hand back against Kari's cheek and rubbed his index finger over her soft beautiful skin. "Hikari, we are going to survive this. I will make sure that we both get through these battles with Dragomon, Daemon and the Creatures of the Dark World. We will make it because I can do anything when I have my light to fuel my hope and guide me through the darkness. It may sound so clichéd and corny but it is the truth. I love you, Hikari. I love you so much that I could never hurt you by getting myself killed and leaving you alone. I could never inflict that pain on you so I will do everything I can to make sure that we both survive."

Kari's sparkling eyes were wide open as she listened to her boyfriend's words. She just couldn't contain her love for him anymore and her desires took over. She placed one hand on the back of TK's head and the other around his shoulders, quickly pulling him down to her. Kari pressed her large perky boobs against her lover's toned chest as she closed her eyes again. She forced his lips against hers as the lovers began passionately kissing once more with the perfect timing of a couple that intimately knew every millimetre of each other's bodies. The desire burnt away inside Kari and she knew that she had to let her feelings out at that very moment. She didn't care about anything else.

The couple's hands quickly started roaming around one another's bodies and soon found their ways to their lover's most sensitive areas. It signalled the beginning of a hot, passionate and affection fuelled love making session. TK and Kari allowed themselves to get completely lost in the moment as they let their desires take full control of their actions.

* * *

"We are going to be in so much trouble," Kari's tone was full of worry as she and TK sprinted at full speed towards Odaiba Senior High School. They had their fingers entwined and, despite their fears about what would happen if they were late, the couple still had smiles on their faces.

They had to quickly throw on their uniforms after their love making session had lasted longer than they intended. It was a passionate and emotion fuelled action which they didn't want to stop. They nearly didn't stop until they realised the time and how much trouble they would be in if they didn't go to school. The result of which meant that they had to quickly get dressed, grab their bags and head for their school at full speed to get there on time. They didn't even have time to disguise or hide Patamon and Gatomon, who were also travelling at full speed beside their human partners.

"We need to pick better times to make love," TK commented as he glanced to his right at Kari.

"Yeah," Kari nodded her reply before she remembered why they did what they did. "But I wanted to express my love for you and that was the best way to do it. After all, actions speak louder than words."

"True," TK nodded back and smiled. "I wanted to show my love for you as well and remind you that I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be here for you."

Kari smiled appreciatively at her lover before laughing at the situation they found themselves in. "And you're right about us needing to pick better times to make love. We definitely shouldn't make love before school and we need to get our desires under control. Especially if you're going to keep on being so amazing. I'm still wanting to go back to your place so we can pick up where we left off."

TK bit his bottom lip as he glanced over at his girlfriend. She bit her lip too as they both slowed down and toyed with the idea of turning back. The couple began to smirk at each other as they both realised that they wanted the same thing. Their hormones were still flowing through their veins. The lovers' passion and desire were still burning deep within them and they wanted more.

"Don't you two dare do that," Gatomon warned in a serious manner. "You'll get into so much trouble if you do."

"Your parents are trusting you and they'll keep you apart at night if you break that trust," Patamon took over in a clearly displeased tone. "You both know that you being separated will make you vulnerable to the darkness and Dragomon."

"That could be fatal for you. Your little discussion and expression of love would have been completely pointless," Gatomon finished as she glanced up at the humans.

"You're right," TK nodded as he and Kari began sprinting again. He laughed at a thought that entered his mind. "Imagine how us turning back now would fuel the rumours about us that are going around the school."

"Us running into the school panting like this is going to fuel those rumours," Kari quipped back. Hers and TK's breaths were deepening as their energy levels started to drop. Fortunately they were close to the school now. "Davis is never going to let us forget about this. He'll work out what we've been up to as soon as he sees us."

The couple continued at full pace towards the school. Patamon and Gatomon split off from them and dived into some bushes that they could move through to meet up with the other Digimon. TK and Kari made it to the gates just as the bell rang. Several of their fellow students stared at them as the two teens slowed down and caught their breaths. They were panting heavily as they mingled in with the other pupils filing into the main building. The two Digidestined, like most of the other students, ignored the three black cars with tinted windows that were parked up at the entrance to the school.

"That was a close one," TK sighed in relief as they made their way to their lockers.

"I'd hate to know what would have happened if we weren't on time," Kari replied. "It would have been so embarrassing to walk into our home room and then explain why we are both late."

TK laughed as he glanced at his girlfriend. "It wouldn't matter because we can face anything when we're together, remember?"

Kari laughed with him. She was glad that her guilt and worries had finally evaporated away and that her fears had eased. She wasn't sure how long she could have gone on before breaking down if TK hadn't stopped her doubts from eating away at her. The teen girl didn't care how clichéd she and TK were because she knew that she had an amazing boyfriend.

The couple reached their lockers, which were fortunately next to each other, and sorted out what they would need for their classes that day. They changed their footwear to their uwabaki and headed for their home room. They followed the thinning crowds up to the second floor and headed along the white corridor.

TK and Kari entered their home room and made their way over to their seats behind Davis and Ken. Davis' eyes set on them immediately and a smirk spread across his face. They were still breathing somewhat heavily from the sprint and the goggle head could tell that they had been up to something. The couple averted their gaze from him as they put their bags on their shared desk and took their seats.

"Hi guys," Kari and TK greeted in unison in a rather sheepish manner. They kept their gaze down and fidgeted nervously. The lovers could only hope that Davis didn't yell the words they knew he was going to say.

"Hey," Ken greeted back with a smile and a small wave. He would have continued but he was cut off by his best friend.

"What have you two been up to? You're normally here before me and I even saw you running through the school gates as the bell rang," Davis' mischievous smirk grew as both TK and Kari blushed a deep red colour. The couple's embarrassment was clear for him to see, prompting him to keep probing for some answers. "You've been doing it, haven't you? Just like Ken here has been enjoying his alone time with Yolei."

Davis laughed as Ken's face turned bright red and he stared at the desk in front of him too. The goggle head was going to press on to get a definite answer from Kari and TK but he was interrupted as their tutor entered the classroom. The students fell silent and turned to face him. Davis sighed in disappointment because he had just come up with so many ways to further tease his friends.

"Takeru Takaishi and Hikari Kamiya," the teacher called out the two teens' names. They managed to pull their gazes from their desk and focused on the middle aged man. "Principal Sato wants to see you both immediately."

TK and Kari glanced at each other with puzzled expressions on their faces as they stood up and placed their bags back over their shoulders. Several students whispered things about the couple as they nodded to their tutor and headed for the door. Kari distinctly heard at least two people whisper that they thought she was pregnant and another pupil said that they looked like they had just had sex. Her face remained bright red as she felt the eyes of the entire classroom fall on her and TK while they walked out of the room. The couple turned left, took one another's hand and headed back towards the stairs that they had just come up.

"I wonder what this is about?" TK thought aloud in a worried tone. He felt Kari tighten her grip of his right hand.

"I hope that Principal Sato isn't taking the rumours about me being pregnant too seriously," Kari gulped, knowing what the repercussions could be. Teenage girls would be thrown out of the school if they had a child because it broke the school's code of conduct.

TK squeezed his girlfriend's hand in a reassuring gesture. "I don't think that he'll listen to rumours. It'll be something to do with the school paper."

"Today sure has been different," Kari forced a laugh as she and TK started down the stairs to the ground floor. Their faces were finally beginning to return to their normal colour and their breathing had steadied.

"At least being called to the Principal's office has helped calm my urges to drag you back home to make love for the rest of the day," TK sighed. He didn't know how he would have managed to fight his desires while sitting next to his girlfriend all day after what had transpired earlier.

"Ditto," Kari sighed as well. She hoped that no one was eavesdropping on them at that moment. "But we can still pick up where we left off when we get back."

The couple smirked at each other as mischievous glints appear in their eyes. Kari pouted at her boyfriend before he winked back. TK slid his right arm around her back and pulled her body against his. She reciprocated the gesture by placing her left arm around his back as they fell into a comfortable silence.

The silence started to become a more nervous one as the couple made their way along the corridor to the Principal's office. They were two of the top students in their year and they were rarely called to see the headmaster. They were beginning to feel rather anxious about it as their minds raced over the possibilities for their summoning. The lovers shared a nervous glance as they reached the door to Principal Sato's office.

They let go of each other and quickly straightened one another's uniforms. They were both looking unusually messy from a combination of having to quickly dress and then the sprint to school. Both teens knew that they had to neaten their appearance or Principal Sato would reprimand them, just like he often did to Davis when the goggle head rushed to school after oversleeping. Kari gave her hair a quick brush to tidy it before she and TK turned to the headmaster's door. TK knocked on the frosted glass window before waiting for the principal's reply.

"Come in," a deep male voice replied from the other side. The two teenagers stepped through the door and Kari closed it behind them.

The couple turned to face an old grey haired man sitting behind an oak desk at the far end of the large office. They both bowed respectfully before raising their heads and glancing around the room. There were numerous cabinets and wooden bookcases pressed up against the walls. They also noticed that there were several images of the school's most illustrious students hung on the Principal's walls. TK spotted Matt playing his guitar in one picture frame and Ken in another. He felt a sense of pride at seeing his brother's picture on the wall with a plaque reading 'Yamato Ishida - Rock star' underneath.

The blonde boy's eyes then fixed onto the two other slightly familiar looking people sitting in the room. The first of these people was a tall blonde man. He was wearing a white shirt and black jacket that tried to hide his toned torso. He was also wearing a matching black tie, black trousers and the best polished shoes that TK had ever seen. An auburn haired woman sat next to the man. She was wearing a similar suit but hers was clearly tailored to her large breasts and curvy hips. They both shifted a little nervously under the gaze of Kari and TK.

"Ah, Mr. Takaishi and Miss Kamiya," Principal Sato removed his eyes from his guests and focused on the two teenagers. He used his right hand to gesture to some padded chairs on the opposite side of the room to the two people in suits. "Please take a seat."

TK and Kari did as they were told. They nervously glanced across at the two adults on the other side of the room to them, wondering who they were and why they looked familiar. TK instinctively took Kari's hand in his once more. They entwined their fingers and TK gently squeezed his girlfriend's hand. He could tell that she was worried and confused by this, just like he was.

"This is Detective Yamaki," Principal Sato gestured in the direction of the tall blonde man before introducing the young woman. "And this is Detective Ootori. They are here to ask you some questions about a crime committed last week."

The two detectives exchanged greetings with TK and Kari and the four bowed their heads respectfully to each other. They then focused on the headmaster once again. He had a serious expression on his face as he glanced over at Kari and TK.

"Miss Kamiya and Mr. Takaishi, I hope that I don't need to remind you about the school's policy towards students who break the law," Principal Sato was referring to the school rule about pupils being expelled if they had been found guilty of a serious or multiple crimes. It was another rule in the school's code of conduct because it was considered to be bad for the school's image to have convicted criminals being taught there. All schools in Japan took their image very seriously and Odaiba Senior High was no different.

"You don't have to worry, Mr. Sato," Detective Ootori spoke in a reassuring manner as she glanced at the headmaster. "They have done nothing wrong. We would only like to take them for questioning because we believe they might be able to provide vital evidence in a case involving a disappearing couple. We think that they are the key witnesses."

TK and Kari stiffened as they realised what was being implied. Their eyes widened and they squeezed one another's hands even tighter. The couple gulped nervously because they were the only people they knew about who had disappeared recently. Neither of them had thought that anyone had seen the events that had occurred on the seafront when Kari was kidnapped by Dragomon, but clearly they were wrong.

"The couple in question vanished the night Miss Kamiya and Mr. Takaishi contracted the food poisoning that caused them to miss school last week," Mr. Yamaki took over from his partner. "We believe they were around the seafront at the time the couple disappeared in strange circumstances. Also, I would like to make it clear that you should not expel or suspend two pupils as excellent as they are. It would be a big mistake."

Kari and TK glanced anxiously at each other. They both took a deep breath and wondered how they were going to get out of this if someone did really see everything that had happened when Kari was abducted and TK and their Digimon went to rescue her. It was the worst possible time for it with a war raging on two fronts and now the possibility of them and the other Digidestined being forced to run from the government. The two teens were frightened about what might happen to them and their friends if there was actual evidence linking them to the Digimon. There were so many possibilities and most of them didn't have good outcomes.

"So we would like to take them to the police station for questioning," Ms. Ootori smiled at Principal Sato. "With your permission of course, sir."

"That is fine with me," the headmaster nodded in reply before his gaze fixed onto TK and Kari. "I'll ensure that the work which you will miss today is collected so you can do it at a later date. I expect you to fully cooperate with the detectives and help them solve the case."

The couple responded with nervous nods of their heads. Their eyes then fixed onto the two adults opposite them. TK tried to read what they were thinking as the man and woman stood up and made their way over to the door. The teen boy couldn't work out what the two detectives were really planning.

"Please can you come with us," Mr. Yamaki asked calmly as he opened the door.

Kari and TK glanced at each other once more. They both took another deep breath before slowly standing up and headed for the door. They continued to hold one another's hand tightly as they stood next to the two detectives, waiting for their next instructions.

"Thank you for your cooperation," Detective Ootori smiled as she bowed to the headmaster before she, TK, Kari and Mr. Yamaki stepped out of the room. Detective Yamaki closed the door behind them before leading the way down the corridor to the school's main exit.

"Please follow me," the tall man instructed with a hint of nervousness in his voice. Kari and TK did as they were told, remaining silent while they followed him. "And please don't run off or try to escape. We know where you live and, even if you did escape, we could just bring a few of your friends in for questioning instead. I'm sure Mr. Motomiya, Mr. Ichijouji, Miss Inoue, Mr. Izumi or Miss Tachikawa will be more cooperative."

Detective Ootori followed behind the teen couple, keeping an eye on both of them. "Don't worry, you and your friends are not in any trouble. This is the best way we could think of to get you to come with us. We didn't think that turning up at either of your apartments and asking you to come with us would work. You would probably resist us and refuse to hear us out if we did that."

"Who are you?" TK finally broke his silence as he asked his question in a stern tone.

"We'll explain who we are and what is going on when we get into the car," Detective Yamaki replied as the group reached the school entrance. They stepped outside and headed for the main gate. "There is a too greater risk that we will be overheard if we discuss this now."

Kari and TK glanced at each other once again. A quick exchange of expressions between the couple led to them deciding that trying to escape would be a bad idea. After all, they didn't want these two detective to go after their friends. They would prefer that it was them who were taken and their friends being the ones that had to rescue them.

Kari turned her head and gazed into the bushes and trees that lined the edge of the school grounds. She found Gatomon and Patamon together in a tree, watching them being led to the school gate. The brunette teen mouthed 'stay here' to the Digimon, hoping Ms. Ootori didn't see it. The auburn haired woman didn't seem to do anything or notice the Digimon as they nodded in reply to Kari. She squeezed TK's hand to get his attention. He gazed at her and once again Kari used her facial expressions to let TK know that she had informed their Digimon.

* * *

Davis and Ken sat quietly in their home room, listening to the rampant gossip being spread between the other students about their friends. With Kari's hair in such a mess and both of their uniforms hurriedly put on, it was obvious to the whole class that they had been up to something. The couple being called to the Principal's office had only added fuel to the fire.

Both the teen boys had denied that Kari and TK had been up to something unusual before school even though they knew it was a blatant lie. They had said that TK and Kari had gone on a walk along the seafront and lost track of the time, which meant they had to run to get to school before classes started. It was a reason that was completely plausible because it was well known that the couple would often have breakfast together or go on walks around the city before going to school.

Davis sighed and shook his head. He couldn't believe that his friends had dropped themselves in it like this. He pursed his lips before gazing out of the window to think of why the Principal would want to see them. His eyes opened wide and what he saw made him gasp.

"Ken," Davis caught his best friend's attention with the clear concern in his tone. He pointed out of the window to the main gate. "It's Kari and TK."

"What?" Ken asked in a confused tone and turned to look in the direction Davis was staring in. Worry quickly dominated his facial expressions as soon as his eyes fixed onto his fellow Digidestined being led to the central car of three black ones parked at the school gates. "What's going on?"

"I don't know but it looks like those people in black suits are taking Kari and TK with them," Davis growled as he clenched his fists. He figured his friends were being kidnapped by what appeared to be government agents. "What the hell are we going to do?"

Ken pursed his lips and thought for a second. "I don't know but we should tell all the others right now."

Davis reached into his pocket and pulled out his D-Terminal to contact the other Digidestined. "Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse."

* * *

As I said in my author's notes at the start of this chapter, I'm not intending this story to be a crossover between the Adventure seasons and the Tamers season. I'm only using the Hypnos characters because I needed them to play an important role in this fic. Their role will become clearer over the next few chapters. It was a choice between them, the DATS team from season five or some OC's and I decided the Hypnos team were the best fit for what I needed. In fact, Yamaki and Riley are just about perfect for what I want. I'm sorry if that disappoints some of you.

For those of you who are wondering what uwabaki are, they are the shoes that Japanese students are expected to change into when they get to school. They're kind of like slippers that the students are expected to wear while inside the school buildings.

On a different note, what did you think to this chapter? I'm not too happy with it myself, but I hope it is still ok. I hope you don't mind another cliff hanger because this chapter is the start of a six to eight chapter long arc. Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a review =D


	13. Agents Part 2

**Chapter 13: Agents Part 2**

Hi everybody. Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter and thank you all for giving this story over 100 reviews. Your feedback keeps giving me the motivation I need to keep writing this fic and I appreciate every review I receive. They all mean so much to me, thanks again =D

For those of you who are wanting to see more of the other Digidestined, don't worry because they will begin to feature more heavily soon. This and the next two chapters will mainly be based on TK and Kari, but the others will begin playing major roles after that. In fact, another couple will get quite a bit of focus on them in a few chapters time. I'm not saying which one though. I won't spoil it for you.

Ok, disclaimer time … I still don't own Digimon or any other copyrighted things that I mention in this story. Patamon would still sit on top of TK's head if I did own it. It is his favourite place to sit after all.

* * *

"Please get in," Ms. Ootori instructed as she opened the car door for TK and Kari. The car in question was the central one of the three black cars parked at the school gates that the couple had sprinted past on their way to school less than fifteen minutes ago. The other two cars had two men in each of them. These men were wearing black suits that matched Detective Yamaki's.

TK and Kari did what they were told to do and climbed into the car. Kari shuffled along the back seat, allowing TK to sit down next to her. Detective Ootori closed the door as Mr. Yamaki sat in the driver's seat. Ms. Ootori then took the front passenger seat and locked the car's doors. Both detectives let out loud sighs of relief before they turned around to face the two teenagers in the back.

Kari and TK gripped one another's hand tightly. They had no idea what was going to happen to them. Their minds kept conjuring up several possibilities. The most probable of which were that they were being arrested for all of the recent murders or for the damage that had resulted from the Digimon battles over the years.

"I'm Mitsuo Yamaki and this is my partner Reika Ootori, or Riley as she prefers to be called," Mitsuo pointed to himself before pointing at Riley. "It is a pleasure to finally talk to you both and I must point out that we mean you no harm. We are from the Digimon Protection Division, which is a classified section of the Self-Defense Force. A division that reports directly to the Prime Minister of Japan himself."

Both Kari and TK gulped as their clasp of the other's hand tightened further. Their bodies couldn't be any tenser and their fear about their current predicament was clearly written on their faces. This was even worse than they had originally thought. They were being held by the Self-Defense Force, which meant that they were being held by the Japanese military. It created a whole new level of problems.

"Takeru Takaishi and Hikari Kamiya, we know that both of you are, from what we understand you refer to yourselves as, Digidestined. You both have Digimon partners, creatures from another world, and you have been involved with these Digimon since you were eight years old," Mitsuo Yamaki continued. "During your involvement with the Digimon, we have observed that you and your partners have battled the more troublesome Digimon. In doing so, you have protected the country and even the world from these dangerous Digimon. I assume you know what I'm talking about."

"We have no idea," TK replied in a nervous tone. He had tried to add more conviction to his voice but his fear had stopped him. The words had left his mouth in a shaky and unconfident manner that risked showing that he was lying.

Mitsuo sighed and glanced at Riley before returning his focus to the couple in the back of his car. "I thought that you would say that."

"We have recently observed that you both have been involved with the recent monster activity in the city," Riley took over from her partner. "Last week you and your Digimon were seen vanishing from the seafront not far from here in a bizarre set of circumstances for even you Digidestined. There was also a battle a few days ago during which you both received those cuts to your faces from a particularly twisted Digimon. Then there are your injuries from three years ago. Those types of injuries don't happen when people fall through glass tables. We believe they were caused by some Digimon as well."

Kari took a deep breath and gritted her teeth. The images of the final battle with Neodevimon and the more recent battle with Ladydevimon flooded back into her mind. She instinctively shuffled closer to TK and glanced at him. He was already looking at her with concern filled eyes, showing that he knew what was going through her mind at that moment. TK gave her an expression of reassurance to tell her that everything would be ok. Their attention was returned to the adults as they continued.

"My original plan was to invite your brothers to join us before inviting you," Mitsuo informed them. "From what I understand, they are the leaders of your group. However, it would not be as easy to get both of them out of their university classes in the same way we have taken you out of your lessons today. They would also be more likely to make escape attempts, whereas you are more cooperative."

"We also chose you over Taichi and Yamato because, until two days ago, they had not been involved in any of the recent battles," Riley informed Kari and TK. "However, both of you have been and you have also been involved in some manner with all of the previous Digimon incidents since you were eight. That makes us think that you might know more about the recent murders in Tokyo and the Digimon attacks than any of the other Digidestined."

"No, we have no idea about what is causing them and we know nothing about these Digimon that you keep mentioning," TK replied for himself and Kari. His nervousness still laced his tone. "Can we go now?"

Mitsuo pursed his lips and thought for a moment. "Unfortunately not. We need you to come with us to our headquarters to further discuss the matter. Maybe you will change your minds when you see the video evidence we have of you both at the centre of Digimon battles. Alternatively, you might change your minds when you hear the deal we have for you and your Digidestined friends."

"Please try not to worry," Riley spoke in a calm tone that she hoped would ease some of Kari and TK's anxiety. "You have done nothing wrong. In fact it is quite the opposite. We just need to have a very important discussion with you in private."

With that both Mitsuo and Riley turned around. Mitsuo started the car and informed the two other vehicles that they were ready to go. They set off for the Digimon Protection Division headquarters, leaving TK and Kari no choice but to go with them.

* * *

Nancy walked down a busy street in the main shopping district of Tokyo. The pavements were packed with people rushing to work or making the most of the safety that the daylight hours provided. Everyone was coming out during the day now since it was no longer safe to be out at night and that meant that the streets were even more crammed than usual.

Nancy continued to walk with the crowds until she spotted the cafe that she was heading for and the people she had arranged to meet. Sitting outside the cafe at one of the tables were Susumu and Yuuko. She had arranged to meet them before she went to work. They wanted to discuss all of the recent events involving TK, Kari, the Digimon and this Dark World that her sons kept mentioning. Hiroaki was meant to be joining them too but, as usual, he was obviously running late.

The blonde haired woman exchanged greetings with the Kamiyas before taking a seat at the same table as them. She had just placed her work bag beside her chair when a waitress promptly arrived by her side. Nancy ordered herself a latte and a black coffee for Hiroaki. She paused for a moment to think why she had ordered her ex-husband a drink but she was quickly brought out of her thoughts.

"How are Kari and TK this morning?" Yuuko asked with a hint of concern in her voice. She was hoping that they both hadn't been attacked by the darkness or some invading Digimon again.

"They're still a little shaken from what happened a few days ago," Nancy sighed and pursed her lips.

"That's understandable," Susumu spoke in a gloomy tone. "It's been a really rough time for them."

"It has been a rough time for all of us," Hiroaki added as he announced his presence and took the empty seat between Nancy and Susumu. Nancy pushed the cup of black coffee in his direction. He smiled gratefully, knowing that his ex-wife still knew how to look after him after all these years. "Thanks and I'm sorry that I'm late."

Nancy nodded and smiled back before taking a sip of her own drink. She gazed at Hiroaki as he exchanged greetings with Yuuko and Susumu. He appeared tidier than usual, like he had managed to get a good night's sleep for once. His clothes weren't creased and his hair was combed, which was the opposite of the look he normally had because of the stress of his job at Fuji TV.

"Unfortunately we are going to have to get straight to business because I have less than an hour before I have to be at work," Susumu sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "This is the first time all four of us have been able to meet and discuss Kari, TK and what has been going on recently with this darkness without anyone else around."

"What is there to discuss?" Hiroaki asked curiously as his eyebrows rose. TK and Kari hadn't been staying with him, meaning everything he had heard came from Matt and Gabumon. They kept giving him regular updates on the whole situation but they were often, and very obviously, selective about what information they gave him.

"Well first of all, are we still ok with Kari and TK spending all of their time together?" Susumu started and glanced at the others around the table. "They are both sixteen and sharing a bed every night, which is something I'm not very pleased about. I gave them a no sex rule but I doubt they're going to obey it since we aren't able to be around them constantly. We know that they are already exploring that side to their relationship and that they are madly in love with each other. It would be a rule that I would have found impossible to obey at their age. However, I am still going to enforce it and make sure that they follow it. I definitely don't want them to have a child until they are at least eighteen and, preferably, older than that. So if I find out that they have broken the no sex rule then I am going to be very angry with them."

"I'm going to keep enforcing that rule for the same reason," Nancy nodded in agreement with Susumu. "This would be the worst possible time for Kari to become pregnant with everything that is going on."

"She is taking the contraceptive pill," Yuuko pointed out. "I'm going to collect her next prescription from the chemist when we are done here. That gives me some peace of mind about that side of their relationship."

"They are both very smart and won't do anything stupid. We can trust them and I'm happy to let them continue protecting one another all the time from this darkness," Hiroaki added before taking another sip of his coffee. "Even if something did accidently happen and they made a mistake, do you think they would split up? I don't and I think it would somehow probably bring them even closer together."

"No," Yuuko quickly answered for the others as they all shook their heads. "I agree that Kari and TK would stick together. They would take on their responsibilities, like they always do."

"I can't see them splitting up for any reason," Nancy added after a few seconds of thought. "The bond between them is too strong. Apparently that helps to fuel this light that you've seen coming from them."

"Exactly," Hiroaki replied as he lent back in his chair. "I've saved a lot of money for TK over the years to ensure that he will be ok if some accident did happen. I was also putting it aside for his education and his and Kari's wedding, but if they did accidently have a child then I would give them that money to support them. I've saved money for Matt and Sora too, but Matt has made enough money from his band to pay for his own wedding, apartment and anything else he wants in his life."

Yuuko's eyes lit up at the idea of Kari and TK getting married. She clasped her hands together as a huge smile spread across her face. "It would be such a romantic story. Childhood sweethearts fighting monsters together and growing up to marry one another. We've got to start planning their wedding."

"It will probably happen sooner than you think," Nancy cautiously added her thoughts. "I can imagine TK and Kari marrying as soon as TK turns eighteen."

Yuuko only seemed to get even more excited about the idea as she realised it could be closer than she thought. "Kari would look so beautiful in a wedding dress and TK would be so handsome in a tuxedo."

A proud smile spread across Nancy's face as she thought about her son standing at the altar and marrying the girl of his dreams. She let herself get caught up in the thought. "Yeah, it would be great. TK would look so smart and Kari would be so elegant in her white wedding dress."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. That is a conversation for another time and place," Susumu interrupted the ladies and received a nod of agreement from Hiroaki. He took a deep breath before he continued. "We were discussing the present and immediate future, not what might happen in two or more years. We need to make sure that we are all in agreement that Kari and TK can continue to protect one another in the manner that they are currently doing."

"I'm still ok with it because they need to keep each other safe and Kari is taking the pill so she can't get pregnant," Yuuko answered her husband's question. She seemed a little disappointed that he had stopped the talk about the potential wedding.

"I've already given them my support," Hiroaki stated simply before taking another sip of his drink. "They don't have any other options from what I understand."

Nancy sighed and thought over everything for a moment. "Hiroaki is right, they don't have a choice. I wish that there was another alternative because they are only sixteen and too young to be sleeping together every night. However, their safety comes first and it is the only way they can keep one another safe. That means I have to be ok with it. I don't want a repeat of three years ago."

"They're my thoughts on the matter too," Susumu nodded in agreement with Nancy. "So that means we all agree that Kari and TK can continue as they are."

The other three nodded to confirm their agreement once more before they all took sips of their drinks. Hiroaki was first to speak after he set his cup down. "There is something else I would like to discuss with you all while we are here."

"What is it?" Susumu asked in a tone that urged the other man to talk about the subject.

"Have any of you considered the option that we might have to leave Tokyo due to all of the recent attacks?" Hiroaki asked. Working at the TV station had allowed him to find out the current views of a lot of the top politicians on the recent attacks and they were discussing evacuating certain areas of the city if things worsened.

"Not really," Susumu replied before he pursed his lips. "I thought that everyone was just being advised to stay inside at night to avoid the Digimon."

"There can only be so many attacks before they have to start evacuating parts of Tokyo," Nancy informed him. Her research at the paper she worked for had also suggested that there was the potential for evacuations to happen. "Lots of high ranking people in the government and military have been discussing it recently."

"Exactly," Hiroaki nodded in agreement with Nancy. "That's why I and the other senior staff have been making plans to move Fuji TV to Osaka if Odaiba is evacuated. That means that I would have to move there. If you like, I can arrange for you to be evacuated with us so we can remain close by. It would be a lot easier for our kids."

"Thanks for the offer," Susumu paused as he thought for a moment. "We'll have to think about it, but it does sound like a good idea."

"I was also going to discuss it with the rest of the Digidestineds' parents," Hiroaki added before he ran his right hand through his hair. "You see, our children will choose to stay behind and fight these bad Digimon and this darkness if we have to go."

Susumu pursed his lips while Nancy and Yuuko frowned. None of them liked the idea of having to leave Tai, Kari, TK and Matt behind with the other Digidestined in Odaiba if they were forced to move. However, the more they thought about it, the more they realised that it was likely to happen.

Hiroaki took a deep breath before continuing. "We should also consider moving before the official order is given. That way we will be safe and they won't have to worry about us. It will allow them to focus on saving the world once again. I don't particularly like the idea and I don't expect you to either, but they can look after themselves. If we stayed with them then we would just be getting in the way."

Silence fell over the group as they shared glances between one another. They spent several minutes thinking over Hiroaki's words. Each of them had their own worries about what could happen and how everything would work out. There was a chance that they wouldn't see their kids for weeks, months or maybe never again. However, in the end their minds all came to the same conclusion. It was another matter that they had no choice in.

"Our cue to leave the city should be either when our children suggest that we go or when the government tells us to," Susumu finally broke the silence. "I get the feeling that the cue will be the former over the latter because our kids know exactly what is going on and how bad it is. If what Kari and TK have said is correct then the worst is yet to come."

"Yeah," Nancy sighed and rubbed her eyes. "We should discuss this with the parents of the other Digidestined as soon as we can. We need to quickly put a plan together," she turned to face her ex-husband. "Hiroaki, please can you make arrangements for me to join you in Osaka if we have to leave Odaiba."

Hiroaki nodded. "No problem."

"Please can you also make arrangements for Yuuko and I to join you?" Susumu asked as he came to the same conclusion as the other man. It was better for the parents of the Chosen Children to stick together.

"I'll begin sorting everything out as soon as I can," Hiroaki glanced at the other three around the table with a serious expression on his face. "Make sure that you're ready to go at anytime. You know how unpredictable these bad Digimon are."

* * *

TK and Kari stepped into the large office followed by Mitsuo and Riley, who closed the door behind them. Kari and TK stared out of the large windows of the office at the control room of the Digimon Protection Division's headquarters. It was exactly what they had expected the control room of such a secret organisation to be. There were several large screens at the front of the room and about one hundred people working at desks back from there. It was the central hub for all of Japan's Digimon monitoring.

The couple had just come from the control room as part of the tour that Mitsuo Yamaki had given them. The tour included visits to the medical bay, which had the facilities of a small hospital despite its tiny size, living facilities, which were built in case of an emergency, and the rather large collection of vehicles and weaponry hidden under the ground with them. Mitsuo had reassured them several times that they were not in trouble and he was extremely honest with them. It had helped to relax Kari and TK slightly but they still felt like they were in the belly of the beast.

The most disconcerting thing about this place was that it had been under the noses of the Digidestined for nearly eight years. It was a short walk away from the Fuji TV centre, where TK's father worked, and a stone's throw away from the convention centre that Myotismon used during the Digidestineds' first adventure. This very large headquarters was built underground in the area that was destroyed during the battle with Venommyotismon for two reasons. The first was that it was really easy to disguise the construction of this base as part of the rebuilding of the area and the second reason was that it was the site of the first known Digimon battle. Mitsuo and his team didn't know that the Heighten View Terrace incident was also Digimon related.

"Please sit down," Mitsuo pointed at a large black sofa next to the windows of his office. The blonde man himself took his black chair behind his desk.

TK and Kari did as they were instructed and took a seat on the sofa. They slipped their arms around one another's backs to hold each other. The teens were still worried about what was going to happen to them despite Mitsuo's insistence that he meant them no harm. They remained silent, like they had for most of the tour.

Mitsuo closed the blinds of his office, blocking out the view of the nerve centre of his organisation. Riley had taken a seat on the sofa next to the one that Kari and TK were sitting on. Mitsuo typed away on the keyboard of his computer for a few moments before his and Riley's attention fell on the two teenagers in the room with them.

"So, now you know that we know that Digimon exist," Mitsuo began as he slid his keyboard to one side. "Are you going to tell us that you are Digidestined?"

"We don't know what Digidestined are," TK shook his head. His tone wasn't as nervous as it was earlier in the car but there were still obvious signs of anxiety laced within it.

"How about you, Miss. Kamiya?" Riley asked as she focused on the teen girl.

"Nope," Kari shook her head. Her voice still hinted at her concerns about the situation she was in and didn't make her reply as convincing as she would have liked. "I've never heard of Digimon or Digidestined until you two told us about them today."

Mitsuo sighed and ran his hand through his blonde hair. "I hoped that the tour would have convinced you to admit to your association with Digimon, but obviously not. If I was in your position then I would be just as reluctant to admit it as you are. Hopefully you will change your minds after we explain our offer and the current situation to you."

Puzzled expressions formed on Kari's and TK's faces at the mention of the offer. They both wondered what it could be. A bribe of some sort was the first thing that came to mind. Someway to get them to cooperate with this Digimon Protection Division or something that they would have to give up for their freedom from this place.

"As I'm sure you know, there have been lots of mass murders in various areas of Tokyo over the last two weeks. All but one of these were at night. We believe that these attacks are from Digimon that have come into this world," Riley began to explain the current situation for their organisation. "It is the DPD's duty to protect the citizens of Japan from Digimon attacks such as these, but at the moment we have no defence what so ever against them. We can't stop these attacks and we need help."

"Help from those who call themselves Digidestined," Mitsuo took over from his partner. "I have been trying to get you, your friends and your Digimon positions in the DPD for the past five years. However, until now the Prime Ministers had all rejected the idea, saying that you were too young and that we couldn't place the safety of the country in the hands of kids. I pointed out the evidence showing that you have saved Japan from Digimon attacks twice before but they still wouldn't listen."

"That is until now," Riley added with her optimism clear in her tone. "The recent events and your ages have changed the current Prime Minister's view. As all of you except Iori Hida and Daisuke Motomiya are over sixteen, and Daisuke will be sixteen in the coming months, you are now considered old enough to work with us. So we now have permission to extend an olive branch out to you and the other Digidestined to come to an arrangement whereby we can ensure the safety of Japan together."

"We are aware that all twelve of you in your group have bank accounts," Mitsuo Yamaki glanced at his screen as he spoke. "As a result, we are willing to pay each of you ten million Yen per month to make sure that the existence of Digimon remains a secret. The DPD are also responsible for keeping the existence of Digimon hidden from the public. We ensure that TV companies don't mention them, that evidence of them disappears and that research into Digimon is kept secret and only in authorised government facilities."

"This ten million Yen will be paid into both of your bank accounts at midday today," Riley smiled as she informed the two teens that they were going to be rather rich by the end of the day. "You will continue to receive those payments as long as you don't mention Digimon to anyone. However, you will be paid more if you choose to work with the DPD and help us stop these attacks. If you do choose to work with us then you will be granted access to everything you want. You will be able to find out details on anyone or anything in most of the world. You will be able to gain access to anywhere in Japan and police and military offices will obey you without question. The normal laws will not apply to you and you will essentially become secret agents like in the movies."

"You can get full driving licenses for any vehicle, buy anything you want including alcohol and you can even get married if you wanted, even though Japanese law says that eighteen is the youngest age men can marry at," Mitsuo suggested to them. He knew about the strength of their relationship because he had been one of the agents spying on them for the past few years. He had also carefully read everything in their profiles so he knew that might tempt the couple to give up their secret. "To have all of this, all you need to do is help us. So please, will you help us stop these Digimon attacks?"

TK pursed his lips and glanced at Kari to gauge her view on what had just been said. Their gazes met and their eyes conveyed their feelings about the situation to one another. They were both still worried that Mitsuo wasn't telling the truth or at least the whole truth about what he wanted from them. Furthermore, the two teens were both concerned about what the other Digidestined would think if they admitted to their partnership with Digimon to the DPD.

TK sighed and turned to face Mr. Yamaki. "This offer sounds really nice but we think that you have the wrong people. We don't know what a Digidestined is."

Mitsuo sighed again and started typing on the keyboard of his computer. He then turned on the large flat screen TV hanging on the wall opposite Kari and TK. He went back to his typing. "Hopefully some video evidence of you and your Digimon partners will make you see that there is no point in you both lying to us. This video that I'm about to show you is from the most recent battle that you two were involved in."

Kari tensed up as she realised that the most recent battle that she and TK were involved in was the one with Ladydevimon. The fight that had been replaying in her mind for the past few days. The battle in which she and TK had been hurt by her nemesis. She hoped that it wasn't the battle that Mitsuo was referring to because she didn't want to relive it.

The brunette teen's auburn eyes opened wide in horror as the video began playing on the TV in front of her. The clip had started playing near the beginning of the battle with Ladydevimon and Skullsatamon. The images of Ladydevimon deliberately cutting TK's face right before her eyes flashed through her mind, making her place her spare arm around TK to hold him tightly. She felt him return the embrace, pulling her as close to him as he could.

Kari's breathing deepened and tears began to form in her eyes as she watched the Digidestineds' Digimon wipe out the Phantomon and Devidramon. She began to shake as she knew that the moment where Ladydevimon would go for her and TK was about to happen. She watched as Ladydevimon and Angewomon battled it out. The horrors from the battle kept playing over and over in her mind as they did so. Then, when Ladydevimon connected with that kick to Angewomon's head, Kari cracked. She couldn't watch what she knew was coming.

"Alright, stop it!" Kari cried as she buried her face into TK's chest. Her tears flowed freely from her eyes as she gripped her boyfriend as tightly as she could. "I'm a Digidestined and I'll do whatever you want, but please just stop that video!"

TK placed his left hand on the back of Kari's head to comfort her as she continued to cry into his chest. His sapphire eyes contained a hint of desperation as they focused on Mitsuo. He didn't want them to continue upsetting Kari by playing the battle with Ladydevimon. "I'm a Digidestined too. Now please turn off that video. If you have seen it then you must know it didn't go well for either of us."

"Sorry," Mitsuo quickly apologised as he stopped the clip and switched off the TV. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"Are you ok, Hikari?" Riley asked in an extremely concerned tone. She moved over to Kari and placed her hand on the teen girl's shoulder in a gesture of support.

TK took a deep breath and decided to explain the significance of the injuries they had received in that battle to help Mitsuo and Riley understand why Kari was so upset. "That Digimon who pinned us to the floor and gave me this cut on my face did it to remind Kari of how I got the scar next to it, along with the scars on my chest and arm, in a battle three years ago."

"Was that when you both ended up in hospital?" Riley asked softly as her gaze left Kari for a moment. "We assumed that a Digimon did that to you both, but we couldn't prove it. Takeru, your medical record says that you nearly lost your arm and that you probably would have died of blood loss if Hikari hadn't donated her blood to you."

TK nodded before his gaze returned to Kari. He stroked her silky hair with his left hand to try and comfort her. "The Digimon that injured me three years ago was my nemesis. He was trying to get his revenge on me and my Digimon partner. He targeted Kari because he knew that I love her."

"TK saved my life," Kari forced back her sobs and took several deep breaths before continuing. "He pushed me to safety but couldn't get out of the way of Neodevimon's claw in time. The image of TK lying on the ground in a pool of his blood is one I can never forget. It still makes me feel sick to this day."

"Ladydevimon, one of Kari's nemeses, knew this," TK took over from his girlfriend. "So she decided to do what she did as a form of torture for Kari."

"I'm sorry," Mitsuo apologised again. His tone suggested that he was genuinely sorry for his mistake. "I had no idea that battle had such deep rooted history revolving around it. I just played it because it was the latest video I had in which you two were involved."

"It's ok. You couldn't have known," Kari replied as she wiped away her tears using the sleeve of her green school uniform. She kept her head resting against TK's chest as she tried to force the images from both of the Ladydevimon and Neodevimon battles to the back of her mind. Her composure began to return as she continued to take deep breaths.

"So, Mr. Yamaki, what do you want from us now that you know we are Digidestined?" TK asked as his gaze fixed back onto the blonde man behind the desk.

"Please call me Mitsuo," he replied before moving on to answer the question. "And I want your help in dealing with the recent Digimon attacks throughout Tokyo, just as I said. We can't do anything to stop them but you can. We need your help. Will you join us?"

An alarm suddenly sounded, making Mitsuo and Riley jump to their feet. Mitsuo quickly opened the blinds so he could see through the window and into the control centre. TK and Kari got to their feet as well, feeling the sense of urgency that the two adults felt. They turned and stared at the large central screen in the control room. They saw live CCTV footage of a mist randomly forming in Odaiba Park.

"It's another attack," Mitsuo observed as he pulled his gaze from the screen and focused on the two Digidestined in the room with him. "Will you help us?"

TK and Kari glanced at each other. They both had serious expressions on their faces and quickly came to their conclusion. They glanced back at Mitsuo and TK replied. "Get us back to Odaiba Senior High as quickly as possible so we can pick up our Digimon."

* * *

Wow ... I didn't expect this chapter to be so long. It is over 1,000 words longer than I thought it would be when I started planning it. Not that it is a bad thing though.

I decided to call the government agency the Digimon Protection Division instead of Hypnos because I wanted to make it clear that Mitsuo and Riley aren't exactly the same people in this as they are in the Tamers season. I also want the DPD to be something different from Hypnos. Ten million Yen is about one hundred thousand US dollars for those of you who are wondering. A fair amount to keep something top secret hidden from the public right?

So, what did you all think to the chapter? Did you enjoy it? Were the actions of the DPD what you were expecting? Please let me know by leaving a review =D


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